


Losers.

by thatonechapterofwriting



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: M/M, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), but they dont need to be tagged, oh and harry is a mutant because i said so, there are other relationships if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-01 14:57:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 32,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15776403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatonechapterofwriting/pseuds/thatonechapterofwriting
Summary: A new "Loser" joins Peter, Ned, and Michelle's table. From there, things spiral completely out of control for Peter. (mild Parksborn)





	1. The Part Where I Explain the Title

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dont worry  
> i prewrote every single chapter.  
> so yeah my HS fics are on indefinite hiatus for now. but at least theres this??? chances are if youre reading this, you probably dont care about my other fics, so there was really no point in my saying this.
> 
> I'm going to post a couple chapters just to start it off.
> 
> OK, so, at the end of this chapter, I'm gonna talk about the history of this fic so stay tuned for that. Other than, happy reading!

Midday marked the hour of lunch for the students of Midtown High School, the critically acclaimed academy of Queens. Here, students bustled through lunch lines, listened to and repeated the daily gossip, and pretty much pretended to enjoy the awful food in most cases. Lunch, then, was more of a hustle to get to hang out with friends outside of school whilst still being in school.

In the lunchroom, everyone had a designated area. Movies would've fooled you to believe it was separated into groups of art kids or jocks. Really, it was moreso a group of friends that would claim a table, and more often than not let another kid in just on the principle of asking. Sure, there was usually some underlying link that held them together such as liking the same book series or sport. Sometimes gender was the only link needed. One thing was certain, however. Movies did get one thing right. What table had the demarcation almost never knew that said demarcation existed; but, there was always a Loser's Table.

What made the "Losers" at the Loser's Table "Losers" is up for debate. It could've been the lack of popularity. The oddity or queer aspect could have affected some things. Perhaps, even, there was a little jealousy in some of the bonds the "Losers" had. Whatever it was, it fueled the gossip around them. Gossip flew from mouth to mouth about what new awkward thing the "Losers" had done, or what made them awkward, or what inspired the lunch-long rants about them. That, in essence, gave the table its name.

Seated at Midtown High's Loser's Table were three kids: Ned Leeds, a hefty fellow with a passion for all things space and superheroes and a sense of loyalty beyond any sidekick; Michelle Jones, a tomboy who was often very stoically silent, preferring to remain in the background; and lastly, Peter Parker, a tender boy who was honestly just focusing on surviving to the next day. Peter and Ned were practically attached at the hip the moment they became chemistry partners their freshman year. Michelle, better known as MJ, simply felt she belonged nowhere else but with a couple guys who could care less about how silent she was. The two boys typically jabbered about whatever new obsession emerged within the world of media while MJ listened in. They had a solid dynamic that only a small group segregated from the rest of the cafeteria could have.

Little did they know that on a particularly chilly September day, they would be getting a new "Loser".

Their loser came in the form of a boy about Peter's size though a little taller. He dressed in the same price range as Flash, but kept his outfits simple and contained. His hair was somewhat longer around his eyes and raven black; his skin was pale except for a spot on the side of his neck which was a little darker; and his eyes were quite supernatural in how bright blue they were. Nothing immediately stood out about him as being a "Loser" quality.

When he tried to sit at a table with Flash, however, he quickly learned what it meant to be a "Loser". Interest piqued by what was sure to be a new cafeteria drama, the Loser's Table tuned in to the conversation. Though, nothing could be heard from their distance.

The raven-haired boy, clinging to his tray, moved toward an empty seat at the oval table where kids generally considered rich and popular sat. Upon introducing himself, problems seemed to arise. One kid pointed at the raven-haired boy's eyes. Soon, the whole table erupted into laughter. Flash had a short and low-volume conversation with the boy before referring him to the Loser's Table. The boy appeared to stutter, confused by Flash's pointing at the Loser's Table. The next sentence could be heard by everyone in the cafeteria.

"It's not rocket science, mutie!"

Seconds passed with the raven-haired boy's utterly shocked and betrayed expression clinging to his face. He stared in particular at a platinum blond girl. Even from a distance, the fact that he was probably going to cry could be seen. His brows then furrowed and his face darkened. He stomped away toward the Loser's Table.

He slammed his tray down on the table and quickly sat down a couple seats away from Peter and Ned. The friends were just stunned. MJ kept her same stoic expression, but there was an underlying sense of interest to it. The raven-haired boy just ate in silence.

"So..." Ned attempted to start a conversation, "apples?" he asked, noticing that the boy had picked up an apple from the fruit tray. There was only the choice between apples and oranges. The rest of the Loser's Table proudly claimed their oranges.

The boy shrugged in response. His figure was slumped, head low, and eyes darting to the left toward Flash's table.

"Were you guys friends or something?" Ned asked.

"No. One of my friends sits over there," the boy said. "Felicia Hardy."

Peter blushed upon hearing the name. He rested his head on his knuckles and looked toward the wall. Felicia was famous around Midtown High for having a crush on him since their freshman year. Ned was ready to ask why she hadn't sat over here with the boy who was apparently her friend, but upon seeing Peter's expression, realized why it would've been very awkward.

"So are you _really_ a mutant?"

Ned and Peter looked at MJ with shock. People didn't usually ask if people were mutants. It was rather personal business unless they were completely standout about it.

The raven-haired boy bit his lip and stared doe-eyed down at the table.

Peter forced a chuckle nervously. "What she meant to ask was, 'what's your name?'" he pretended to correct for the sake of not offending the new kid.

"Harry," the boy replied.

A long pause transpired.

"Osborn," he finished. "Harry Osborn," he repeated in full.

It took mere seconds for the table to piece everything together. Peter knew exactly who the kid was on account of his father, Norman. The rivalry between Oscorp and Stark Industries still reigned in technology creation. Peter had overheard a rant or two from Tony about Norman once or twice. The other two "Losers" just knew the Osborn name.

"As in Osborn-Oscorp? Like the tech giant? Rivaling Stark Industries?" Ned made absolutely sure to get this clarified.

"Yes," Harry affirmed.

"So are you a tech buff?" Ned continued.

Harry shrugged. "I guess I would consider myself pretty interested in robotics and engineering."

"Star Wars or Star Trek?" Ned posed what was the determining factor for who he generally considered a friend.

"Wars. Always Wars."

Ned smacked the table as if formally initiating Harry into the group. "He's officially one of us," Ned announced to the other two. 

While the three boys went on to discuss various subjects regarding Star Wars(the validity of the prequels, how good was Last Jedi really, were Jedis really the good guys, how about that Jedi religion, and best character), MJ listened in silence. She knew just as much about Star Wars as they did, but she was most interested in a subject that was swept under the rug. Not that she was a judgmental type, but she liked holding onto secrets. There was just something about being in the know that was great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so history.
> 
> This fic's plot was originally supposed to be part of a The Amazing Spider-Man fanfiction. Then, Spider-Man got revamped with Spider-Man: Homecoming and I dropped the whole thing(though I considered going back to it a lot). I tried again with a small one-shot on Wattpad, but it wasn't exactly the best since it was written pre-Homecoming's release. 
> 
> I was kinda sad to see Harry excluded from the cast of characters in Homecoming, but I like Ned so it's w/e. I was really apprehensive about writing his character since it would basically be creating a new version of him. But the version I've written checks out enough. Trust me, it's better than making him a rich boy with a heart of gold so—you're welcome. Also, since Harry & Felicia was a thing in TASM, I knew it would be a good thing to carry over. Her character? Also better than her just being a flirt with Spider-Man. Not to be an egotist lmao but I just hate those tropes.
> 
> And if you're reading the tags, you might be wondering why Harry is a mutant... well, you remember that movie Chronicle? Listen, I was a major Dane Dehaan stan so I fucking loved that movie. Harry Osborn with telekinetic powers was the dopest thing to me as a twelve yrold(YES, I WAS TWELVE WHEN TASM CAME OUT XD). So that's just something that carried over. Another thing that will be carried over is his relationship with Otto Octavius(YES he is AGED DOWN. dont worryyy). Though, where they were engaged in the TASM version of the fic, they definitely will not be here(just good friends). He's a mutant too bc metal arms so.


	2. The Part Where a Character Is Introduced in an Action Scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yeah like i said im posting this chapter today too since i want to introduce felicia and harry while keeping the chapters separate.

After school, academic practice was already in full swing. The one-time champions were back at it, trying for another championship in DC. Though the trip had a small disaster with an elevator accident, the rest of it was alright enough.

Most would've assumed academic practice was nothing but Jeopardy rounds and studying tests. However, that was for boring plebes. This academic team did that only twenty-five percent of the time. The rest of the time they spent in practice was dedicated to three people going out to get food for half an hour, gossiping about their schoolmates, and catching up on the news.

At the start of practice, Flash took up people's orders from the sandwich shop down the road. The two other people going were always Peter and MJ, but only to keep check on Flash. But, when the raven-haired boy showed up to practice, the group dynamic shifted.

Harry stumbled in through the biology teacher's door, hands in his pockets and head low. He scanned the area for a place to sit before seeing Flash and internally panicking, frozen in place. Recognizing a sense of fear in Harry, Flash strode towards him and stopped right in front of him. Their stances differed greatly in confidence which made Flash smirk.

He looked back at Mr. Harrington. "Hey, Coach, could we bring the new kid to the shop?"

"Someone's going to have to stay here to get some practice in. We can't have four people gone. That's one too many," Harrington replied.

Though, really, they weren't going to practice. They were likely going to talk about everything except academics. Their best subject was the trash subject. Which, don't be fooled by the name, it was a real subject which concerned pop culture. Nevertheless, MJ offered to stay behind.

With that, it was unspoken but agreed that the three getting food would be Flash, Peter, and Harry. Once they gathered the money and orders, they left.

 

..-. ..- -.-. -.-

 

Hustle and bustle was all that could be used to describe the Queens district of New York City. Midtown was slightly secluded, but soon filtered into the rush of the rest of the district once you walked a couple blocks out from the school. Thankfully, the preferred sandwich shop of the Midtown Tigers, just a regular Subway, was only a few blocks down the road.

Flash kept a general lead while Peter and Harry dallied in the back. Peter was the only one with his hands outside of his pockets and carrying a genuine smile.

"So did you just move here?" Peter asked Harry.

Harry heaved a sigh. "No, I've been here my whole life. It's just that I've been studying elsewhere for a while. My mom passed last year though, so my dad put me in Midtown."

"Where did you go before?" Peter inquired.

Harry froze. That was the question he didn't want asked. "You wouldn't know it. It's not a famous school!" he exclaimed rather loudly.

Flash rolled his eyes in such an exaggerated motion that anyone could tell without even having to look at his eyes. He began walking backwards in order to face Peter and Harry.

"You can stop putting on the act. It's pretty damn obvious that you're a mutant," Flash pointed out. "You went to Xavier's. You were on their academic team. I never forget a face."

"I'm _not_ a mutant!" Harry yelled defiantly.

Flash stopped dead in his tracks, prompting Harry to as well. There was nothing worse than telling Flash Thompson that he was wrong about something. Peter kept going until he realized the other boys had stopped. He kept his distance but observed their conversation.

"You really think you're hiding well? No one has eyes like yours. So what's up with you? Are you like one of those laser-eye-weirdoes or what?" Flash teased.

"I'm nothing! I don't have powers! My eyes just look like this," Harry stressed.

"Right. I'll let you keep saying that, but I'm not going to buy into it," Flash declared. With Harry thoroughly angered, Flash turned his attention to Peter. "Parker, you're with me, right?"

Peter shrugged innocently. Flash rolled his eyes.

"Do you have to deal with him everyday?" Harry asked as an aside to Peter. "I know a guy who thinks he's hot shit. We fight everyday and he's still not as bad as this guy," Harry said, his voice barely above a whisper. Peter just nodded in response.

"Oh my god!"

The random shout by a civilian a block ahead of them alerted the three to a car chase which soon zipped right by them. A white van was being followed by five or more police cars. The exclamation was not for this car chase in general. It was for the fact that when the doors of the van shot open, a spear was thrown on the ground, and the police cars were blown back as if an invisible bomb had been set off. The cars were flipped upside down and slung around the roads and streets.

Observing the villainous nature of the attack, and after assuring that Flash and Harry were completely distracted by the feat, Peter disappeared into an empty alleyway. There, he removed his suit from his backpack and slipped it on in a rush. All the looking over his shoulder gave him a slight crick in his neck.

"Should've let MJ go with them instead..." Peter chided himself.

Nevertheless, he sent a thwip to echo through the air and shot himself into the sky with a well placed web and the strength to pull himself up. A whoop of excitement left him. The old web-swinging routine never got old.

He surveyed the area from atop an apartment building. Harry and Flash were hurrying back to the school. Unfortunately, the crime scene was advancing down that way. Peter, now hidden under the monocle of Spider-Man, had to deal with it either way. He had just hoped he could deal with their safety and the car chase separately.

Hot-footed in pursuit of his friends and the runaway van, Spider-Man hopped and swung from building to building—whichever was more convenient. Spider-man sighed when the van performed an illegal u-turn, erasing his progress through the district. A few passing cars wrecked in head-on collisions as a result.

"Come on dude, I haven't taken my permit test yet, and even I know not to do that!" Spider-Man quipped to the runaway vehicle.

Tired of the swinging, Spider-Man resigned to solely running along the rooftops. His hair raised, sensing a presence. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed a blur across from him. He watched a person dressed in a black suit hurrying to catch up with the van. If not for the flowing platinum-blonde hair coming from the person's helmet, Spider-Man would've assumed it was Black Panther. When the black-suited person leapt from the balcony of a restaurant roof which was thankfully lower to the ground than others, they landed on the van. Spider-Man took that as his opportunity to join them since he had been keeping up.

He landed on the roof of the white van with a thump. The black-suited person stared at Spider-Man. On closer look, it was a she. Her suit was completely black except for a silver neckpiece that extended down her chest in a triangular fashion. Silver accented her wrists and ankles as well. The only bare part of her costume was her mouth area. Cat ears notably extended from her white helmet which had a black masquerade mask painted around the eyes.

She pointed to Spider-Man with a clawed hand. "If you are here to mess up my catch, then I regret to inform you that you won't be around much longer to speak of it." She had a thick Xhosa accent.

Before Spider-Man could respond, she backflipped off the top of the van and attached to the side of it. She dug her left claws into the road and anchored herself in an attempt to flip the vehicle over. Spider-Man anticipated the back of the van opening to investigate. Once it did, he leapt in, seizing an opportunity.

The van was a little more spacious than first glance would've allowed. Blue liquid in cylindrical containers lined the van's shelves. Ivory elephant and rhino horns also hung on the walls. Big cat pelts were sprawled on the roof of the van, its walls, and its floor. It seemed they had stolen these things or were smuggling it.

Inside awaited two men equipped with heavy bulletproof armor and machine guns. Spider-Man stood awkwardly, giving a gentle wave. As soon he detected the faintest relaxation in their demeanors, he attached a web to the man on the left and swung him around, using him like a chain and ball for the guy on the right. Spider-Man almost celebrated with a fist pump, but was tackled by the girl in what was effectively a catsuit.

He opened his eyes to find her on top of him, claws at the ready. Inwardly, he panicked, but attempted, badly, to show no fear.

"I thought I told you to stand down!" she growled. Without giving Spider-Man a chance to respond, she pressed an invisible button on her helmet. Soon, DMX filled the van. Apparently, these guys were making her lose her mind.

She stopped straddling Spider-Man, allowing him the chance to attach to the roof of the van and observe the encounter between her and her "catch".

"Hey, Miss, do you have a name?" Spider-Man called out to her.

She ripped a chair out of its socket and threw it out of the van doors at the oncoming police. They swerved to miss it, causing a block. She didn't respond to his question, instead choosing to turn her music up louder. Stoically, she took on bullets being fired at her from a man draped in a tiger print coat in the passenger's seat. He evacuated through the side door. The girl in the catsuit grabbed the driver by the neck and ripped the steering wheel out of place. But, after sparing his life, she pursued the man in the tiger coat through the same door.

Spider-Man took that as his cue to take the back way out. He shot webs at the tires, stopping the van in its tracks. Trying not to pay attention to where the girl in the catsuit or the man in the tiger coat went, Spider-Man webbed up the back of the van's doors. Then, he took the driver out and webbed him to the side of the van.

"Can you believe she left me with the clean-up?" Spider-Man asked the criminal rhetorically. Receiving no answer, he shook his head as if he had. "I know right!" he laughed to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhh i havent talked about face claims yet but
> 
> Harry-Asa Butterfield  
> Felicia-Vanessa Morgan
> 
> *snaps fingers and winks*
> 
> still dont have faceclaims for otto or kraven (cries)


	3. Oh? Another Villain? What is This? Spider-Man 3?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is this version of black cat ok w y’all? 
> 
>  
> 
> just asking for a friend

Perched atop the roof of Subway, Peter removed his mask to breathe a little bit. Fresh air tasted so good after a hectic mission as Spider-Man. Also, he got a BLT from the building he sat on. Couldn't eat with a mask on.

 

A buzz in his backpack(which he retrieved after the van ordeal passed) alerted him to a call. Ned's picture lit up his iPhone. He gave a sigh of relief, hoping he'd have news of Harry and Flash making it back safely.

 

"Ned, what's going on?" Peter answered.

 

"Flash reported you missing to Harrington! Dude you know you can't just skip out like that!" Ned admonished him.

 

Peter threw his head back and groaned away from his phone. He put it back up to his ear promptly. "Every once in a while, Ned! Bro, you gotta hear about this girl I met today. She was insane."

 

"I would love to— if I wasn't worrying about your expulsion! Get back here, Peter!"

 

Peter nodded heavily. "Alright. Give me about ten, and I'll be there."

 

He hung up his cellphone before Ned could respond. It was currently four in the afternoon. He had until five to get there. It was just a fifteen minute walk, so web-swinging was bound to cut time down. In preparation for going from roof to roof, Peter put his phone and sandwich back in his bag. He slipped his mask back on and took off as Spider-Man.

 

On his way back, he noticed the spear that had been thrown was still stuck in the road. The roads had been closed off and police tape was set up around the spear. Curiosity never killed the spider, and he felt he was making good time, so he dropped into the spot. Up close, the spear's shaft seemed to be made of a thick wood. Upon knocking on it, a strong metal seemed to be spiraling through it or at least acting as the base. Spider-Man pulled it out of its asphalt entombing. The tip was a little grainy from being in the concrete, but it was definitely a rare and ultra strong metal. His money was on titanium, but the blue circling through it was throwing him off.

 

He did have as much time as he would've liked to examine it. The clock was certainly ticking and he had a place to be. The spear was placed in his backpack and zipped around. He took off, web-slinging from roof to roof again.

 

 

..-. ..- -.-. -.-

 

 

Thankfully, it was just after 4:11 when Peter got back to practice. He stopped by his locker to put up his weapon find and then hurried off to the biology classroom. Harrington skipped out on the reprimanding, knowing of the car chase that had gone on earlier. Peter still felt the need to explain that he had gotten split up in the chaos and showed his subway to show that he had still gone the shop hoping to find Flash and Harry. Technically, it was a half truth, and that's how he functioned.

 

When practice—which now included questions for them to buzz in on—concluded, Flash took Peter by the shoulder outside.

 

His dark eyes seemed legitimate in their worry. "As the leader of the food runs, I cannot have you skipping whenever you feel like it, Parker. Since MJ is the captain, it falls back on her too for poor delegation," Flash explained calmly. Though, the way his chest heaved, it seemed he was in a bit of a panic. "Where are you going all the time? You can't keep using the same excuse."

 

"Why not if they're true?" Peter shrugged. His face flushed, stressing about the reveal of his secret. It was too early for it to get out. He wasn't anything like Iron Man yet.

 

Flash sighed exasperatedly and peered over his shoulder with a look of annoyance. He leaned in toward Peter with a finger up. "Just tell me one thing. Why is it always crime scenes? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

 

Peter looked to the side, trying to come up with a half truth. "I... I want to be a cop... a hero, you know," he settled. "I want to help others and make sure they're safe. I want to fight evil. Like Iron Man." Peter gave Flash a dopey smile.

 

"I figured you'd say something like that," Flash muttered.

 

Harry hustled between them, rushing off toward the bathroom in a hurry. He had done the same a couple times in practice. It was slightly worrying, but Peter didn't want to make assumptions yet. Though, the way he was going wasn’t anywhere near the bathrooms. Maybe something else was going on. Or he was just lost. Or he liked the scenic route—a very rushed scenic route.

 

Flash sighed. "Parker, don't get involved with Osborn. Mutants are bad business. They don't care about us."

 

"I think I know the right sort to involve myself with, thanks." Peter half-heartedly waved as he walked away from Flash.

 

Ned caught up to him eventually. Peter had gotten so flustered that he forgot Ned was his ride home. The two stopped by their lockers before leaving. Peter pulled out the spear from his, and showed it off to Ned.

 

"Woah!" Ned exclaimed. "What kind of metal is that?" He looked up at Peter in wonder.

 

"I have no idea. Found it in the road. This guy in a huge tiger coat threw it out of his van at the cops and it released like a sonic blast. Whatever this blue stuff is, I'd say it's the power source," Peter observed.

 

"Do you think we could try to experiment with it?" Ned asked excitedly.

 

Peter traced the spearhead's lining. "I don't know. It might be dangerous. Or worse—illegal. The van was smuggling this stuff. The police confiscated it after the fact."

 

"You think they're giving it back?" Ned chuckled.

 

"I think that cat girl was intent on getting that blue stuff back. She seemed pretty attached to it," Peter explained.

 

"Do you know who she might be? Is she an Avenger?"

 

Peter scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Not everyone's an Avenger, Ned. I've never even seen her in the city. Though, she did look like the Black Panther. Iron Man said he was from Wakanda. Maybe she's from there. He might know something about her." Peter rubbed his chin.

 

Ned smirked and raised a brow at Peter. Looking around, flustered, Peter confusedly smiled at Ned. He didn't understand the boy's expression of smugness.

 

"Not every cat person knows each other, Pete," Ned laughed.

 

"Sorry. Anyway, I just think I'm going to give this to her next time I see her," Peter decided.

 

Ned nodded. "That's fair."

 

The two began walking toward the parking lot where Ned's father waited to pick them up. They stopped when they saw Harry running like a bat out of hell in the same direction. The oddity made them look back. Ned patted Peter's chest in order to urge him to run with him, but ended up running off without him when Peter froze up.

 

A large hulking crocodilian lizard stood hunched on its hind legs at the end of the hallway. A tattered white lab coat hung off its shoulders. Its red eyes gazed hungrily at Peter.

 

Slowly, so as not to provoke it, Peter removed the spear from his backpack. He got into a defensive position, not afraid to attack if need be. Hopefully a lizard wasn't going to remember a brunette who could stick to walls if worse came to worse.

 

Seeing the defensive stance as a sign that Peter would soon encroach upon him, the lizard threw himself in a run toward the boy. Peter kept up his pose but backed up as the lizard approached him. The lizard barreled toward him, a clawed hand extended to swipe at Peter's chest. Peter dodged in time and swung to whack him on the back of the leg.

 

Something invisible attached itself to the lizard's face. When the beast was tackled to the ground, Peter could see that it was the girl in the catsuit. She glanced up at Peter for more than a second. The staring ended up getting her tossed away by the lizard. It roared in victory.

 

Peter slashed at the lizard's stomach, momentarily angry at his actions. The lizard was thrown back against the lockers in pain. It whined and attempted to throw itself on Peter to strangle him. Peter took this as his opportunity to dodge and force the monster down with a precise but concentrated blow to the lizard's shoulder. It went down immediately. Though he was usually against cruelty to his antagonists, Peter realized without his web shooters, he had to find something else to pin him down with. That something was the spear, and it was driven through the lizard's tricep and into the ground.

 

Ignoring the creature's screams of pain, Peter ran to the catsuited girl. She was knocked unconscious by the throw. He shook her violently, desperate for her to come to so that he could leave. She jolted awake, her hand immediately finding its way to Peter's neck. When she realized who he was, she took her hand back.

 

She hissed when she stood, feeling her shoulder. She glared at Peter who was backing away slowly. "Do not scare me like that! What are you even doing here?"

 

"Target practice, apparently. I was going home when this purse showed up," Peter joked, gesturing to the writhing lizard.

 

"Good tactic," the girl said, noticing the spear embedded in the lizard's arm. "But he's a lizard. See how he's trying to tear his arm off? It'll grow back."

 

Indeed, it seemed as if the lizard was trying desperately to get away from his own arm. It whined and howled in pain as it did so. Peter almost felt sorry for the thing.

 

"Where did you get this spear?" the girl asked as she stepped on the lizard's shoulder to make sure it wasn't going anywhere.

 

"Found it in the road," Peter said truthfully.

 

The girl sighed. "Well, it belongs to my people. It's vibranium. I suppose I could let you keep it. It is but a small piece."

 

"Are you from Wakanda?" Peter asked. He swore mildly under his breath, briefly forgetting his conversation with Ned. "That's where the metal comes from," he tried to explain himself.

 

"No I am not. My mother is. If you were wondering, I go by Black Cat," she smirked. The way she spoke to Peter was much more excited and giddy than when she spoke to Spider-Man.

 

Footsteps alerted the two to the presence of another person. They came from the direction of the cafeteria, and Peter could soon make out Harry's eyes glowing through the dark of the unused hallways. He clapped his hands on his knees once he reached the other two. Out of breath, he straightened his figure and did an odd hugging salute to Black Cat. She returned the motion.

 

Harry smiled warmly at her. "N'Yama, I can't thank you enough for getting this guy out of my goddamn hair."

 

"Of course. And I trust that you're tracking Kraven?" Black Cat asked, crossing her arms.

 

"Yeah. Not hard to put a tracker on a thick fur coat like that. Can't believe the guy didn't even notice." Harry shook his head. "Weird that he wears it everyday, too."

 

"And Oscorp is still buying vibranium from him?" Black Cat seemed more dead serious with this question.

 

"You know my dad doesn't care about me, his son, so why is he going to care about the welfare of a 'third-world country'?" Harry used air-quotes. Peter raised a brow at this.

 

Black Cat noticed Peter's change in expression. She nodded toward him. "Let's not talk about this here. Can we get this thing out of here or are you intent on waiting until he either rips his arm out of socket or changes back into an armless man?"

 

"It'll be easier to deal with Connors compared to a raging monster. Although I will need you to drive me home now," Harry said. He examined her suit. His eyes widened when he noticed a slash across her shoulder. "Hey are you hurt? I'll do some suit repairs tonight." He wasn't hesitating to put his hand on her shoulder.

 

Black Cat put her hand on top of his and guided it away from the gash. She winced and looked down. "It's just a cut. I'll live."

 

"If you're confident in your sewing skills, alright. But nanotechnology is hard to stitch," Harry seemed to be reminding her.

 

"Fine." Black Cat walked off.

 

"Where're you going?" Harry called after her.

 

"Don’t you need a ride? Won’t I need keys for that?" she asked as she rounded the corner.

 

Harry sighed and sat down against the lockers. He looked up at Peter tiredly. Then, he turned his attention back to the lizard who had given up trying to tear his arm off.

 

"You say one word of this to anybody, and I will see to it that your limbs are ripped off one by one and your brain explodes, leaving an ugly mess to clean up in the middle of the night. Do you understand?" Harry chose his last sentence to look Peter directly in the eye. His smile was a tell that he wasn’t no actually serious, but Peter wasn’t so sure.

 

Nevertheless, Peter nodded. Harry stood and clapped a hand on his shoulder. Up close, Harry's eyes were almost hypnotizingly blue. Peter couldn't help but feel himself get lost within them. He almost felt like he was floating when he looked into Harry's eyes.

 

"Thanks, buddy. Let's hang out sometime." Harry smiled wider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I really want to talk about the name “N’Yama” and why I chose it to be Black Cat’s middle name! That shouldn’t be a spoiler since you can probably infer it from her full name being Felicia Hardy and now Harry’s calling her “N’Yama”.
> 
> N’Yama comes from Xhosan for lion, “Igonyama”. That’s the part of the thing they sing at the beginning of Lion King(nants ingonyama). So that’s where it comes from etymology-wise.
> 
> In-universe, her mother is a War Dog and her father is American. N’Yama was named after the OG Queen, N’Yami, who is actually T’Challa’s birthmother in the comics. *snaps fingers and winks* 
> 
> So ye I did my research. Came up w a good name good backstory.
> 
> Bc like I said, I just really don’t like the original Black Cat character bc it just seems so............... uh. Uhm. Well let’s just say I’m not about to write a 16yr old girl to act like... aLL daT. 
> 
> thanks for coming to my ted talk
> 
> (also she does drama. that’s why shes there as well. i didn’t know where to explain that lol)


	4. So Now We Finally Get a Hinting of the Pairing Y’all Came For

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the parksborn is strong in this one
> 
> Also yes there are only going to be seventeen chapters. Might make this into a series someday tho.

Thankfully, Ned and his father had been waiting outside for the cops to show up about the lizard situation. Since the cops didn't seem to be showing up, the three left. Peter was dropped off at his house.

 

May expected an answer as to why he took so long getting home. He had no choice but to tell her. It wasn't like she didn't know he was Spider-Man anyway. Plus, he got to keep the vibranium spear. So that was cool, and she appreciated the new decor for their apartment. She hung it above their living room mantle, not about to let Peter keep the weapon in his room.

 

No homework allowed Peter to go to bed earlier than usual. And, he would've drifted off to sleep, too. That is, if not for an intruder in the middle of the night.

 

As if by magic, his window lock twisted itself unlocked. Peter shook himself awake, feeling something going awry nearby. He crept out of bed to observe the unnatural phenomena going on. The windowsill shot up. Peter considered going downstairs to get the spear, but settled for the web shooter on his desk as a weapon.

 

A hand grasped the bottom of the sill and heaved the rest of the body up. A raven-haired boy hoisted himself through the window. His blue eyes lit up the room better than the streetlights did. Peter recognized him immediately and put his web shooter down.

 

"Harry!" Peter whispered harshly. "What're you doing here?"

 

Harry adjusted to his surroundings as best he could. He stood, dazed from his clumsy entrance. He observed Peter's room with respect.

 

"I like your room! It's small, but cute." He pointed at a mask. "Is that a Kylo Ren helmet? Wow, you really are a nerd."

 

"I thought you liked that stuff too," Peter said, crossing his arms embarrassedly.

 

"Yeah... yeah I do, but just not on that level my dude. Although the sequels are my favorite. Kylo Ren's my favorite character. I'm excited for The Last Jedi. Do you ship Reylo? N'Yama says it's her OTP. I like it, but FinnPoe is pretty much god tier for me," Harry rambled. Peter just nodded.

 

Harry took a seat on Peter's bed. He crossed his legs and clasped his hands on his lap. Peter stood by his bunk bed's ladder.

 

"So what're you doing here?" Peter tried asking again.

 

Ignoring him, Harry picked up a flute on Peter's stand table. He showed it off to Peter in case he had forgotten that it was his own property.

 

Peter nodded, a little annoyed. He figured he should explain. "I was in—"

 

"Doot!"

 

"I was in band and—"

 

"Doot!"

 

"And I had to quit because of—"

 

"Doot-doot!"

 

"I was in band and I had to quit because of my internship with Tony Stark!" Peter said quickly. He pursed his lips inward. "You're not even playing it—you're making that sound with you mouth!"

 

Harry removed the flute's unused end from his mouth and gently placed it back down. "I'm

more of an electric guitar kind of guy. Anyway, I just wanted to check on you. Figured someone would've broken in by now," Harry explained.

 

"Yeah, you," Peter pointed out.

 

"I slip in. People that want vibranium break in. I'm talking windows broke, doors broke down. That kind of thing."

 

"How could someone track vibranium?" Peter scoffed.

 

"Easier than you think. Go check that shirt you had on," Harry said smugly.

 

"It's in the wash, but I'm assuming you put a tracker on me?" Peter asked.

 

"Yeah. Also, sorry in advance for your washing machine tearing up. That's gonna be a bitch. I was gonna cut it off for you. But I trust you can do that yourself." Harry shrugged.

 

Peter shuffled awkwardly. He grabbed his arm and looked away. "Um, so why exactly did you feel the need to track me?"

 

"Personally, I just wanted to make sure I knew where you lived. Y'know, just in case we need to silence you. That kind of thing." Sensing Peter's apprehension, Harry waved his hands. "Don't worry, we're not considering that right now. At all."

 

Now that things had calmed down and they could catch their breath, Peter took his time looking Harry up and down. He was so... pretty. For a guy. In the fashion department, he appeared to prefer wearing a dark green jacket over a purple shirt with ripped skinny jeans. His raven-black hair was windswept to the right and cut in a minor widow's peak. He seemed to have a pink smile on his face all the time since his encounter with Black Cat which really made him seem more friendly and approachable now. He was taller than Peter, but not as lanky and looked huggable. Harry's glowing blue eyes were the main attraction for sure and they grabbed for Peter's attention every time he stole a look at him.

 

Apparently done with surveying Peter's room, Harry got up and strode toward the window. He hunched over and stuck his head out. Peter didn't have the slightest clue as to what he might have been looking for. He was relieved when Harry began climbing out. Almost completely out of Peter's room, Harry turned back to smirk at the boy.

 

"You're coming along, aren't you?" Harry asked, catching Peter off guard.

 

His heart beat at a million paces. "I didn't know we were going somewhere."

 

"Well, we're not going nowhere! I was kidding earlier when I said we were tracking you to kill you. We actually think you're pretty good in a fight. That was you with Connors and the spear, right?" Harry raised a brow. Peter nodded. "That's what I thought. Go get your best suit and get out here. Oh!" Harry fished around in his jacket pocket hastily. He pulled out a necklace with dark green beads on it and threw it at Peter.

 

"What's this?" Peter asked, catching it with ease. On closer inspection, they had weird engravings on them.

 

Harry pointed at it with a serious expression. "An experiment. Practically a prototype. Might want to put it on before we go out. Took a lot of sneaking around Oscorp to get and a lot of science shit you couldn't begin to wrap your head around."

 

Peter looked down at the beads again, this time more hesitant. The thought of it being stolen from Oscorp made him slightly uneasy. He opened his mouth to talk to Harry again, but found that the boy had already disappeared. Peter really hoped he could trust him.

 

Making sure to lock his door, Peter decided to at least try the necklace on and see what happened. He placed his standup mirror against his door. Looser than it looked, the bead necklace just slipped around his head. They tightened upon finding his neck. Soon a black liquid-like substance coursed over his body. It felt as if he was submerged in water. If he could, he would've panicked, but something was suppressing all his senses of apprehension. Still scared, he closed his eyes tightly until the drizzling sensation stopped. When he opened his eyes again, he was shocked by what he saw.

 

Oddly enough, the suit felt like wearing his Spider-Man suit now. It also bore some resemblance to it. The suit was black and had a white spider on it whose legs stretched around the body. Large white eye patterns which curled up gazed back at Peter. He wondered if he could do anything new with the suit.

 

Quickly, Peter made sure to grab his homecoming suit from the back of his closet and the nearly wilted corsage from the downstairs freezer. He didn't like looking at the attire since the whole ordeal with the Vulture. They were artifacts from his first homecoming since he skipped his first, so they had to be kept for keeping's sake. Hopefully tonight would turn that around.

 

Intent on joining Harry, Peter leapt out of his window. He would've climbed down, but some adrenaline rush told him to jump out. He landed with a tumble on the ground. The suit was fine in its plastic wrapping. From seven floors up, he should've sustained some damage, but the suit seemed to absorb the shock. Recovering from the shock of his stunt, Peter walked sideways into the wall of his apartment building. Harry seemed to be talking to Black Cat by the dumpster. Peter observed quietly.

 

Harry hopped onto the dumpster lid. He opened one side of it and jumped in, digging through the trash. Black Cat looked ready to barf. He came out with a helmet, a golden neckpiece, and a pole.

 

"You're gonna put that on after it's been in the trash?" Black Cat sneered.

 

"I had to hide it somehow. I'll get the smell out later. Not like we're going on a stealth mission. We're busting the trade deal, getting the vibranium, and getting out," Harry reminded her.

 

"Still, we shouldn't have to worry about being detected early because of a gremlin who smells like he's never seen a bar of soap in his life."

 

Harry let out a sharp laugh. "Goblin— not 'gremlin'. Get it right," he chuckled.

 

Harry smiled brightly, noticing Peter standing across from them. He furrowed his brow once his eyes came to the spider symbol on Peter's chest. He turned to Black Cat with a pinch of concern.

 

"N'Yama, what was the symbol when you tried the suit on?" Harry asked.

 

"A lion, as to be expected. And you?" she returned the question. "I assume a skunk."

 

"Eagle I think." He shot her an annoyed look once he got her joke. He continued, "Bald, probably. Might've been one of those sea ones. They should just call the sea eagles—seagulls. Simple. Anyway, I interpreted it as a bald eagle though. But, don't you think it's odd that it looks like that Spider-Guy?" Harry raised a brow. "I'm not inferring anything, I just thought it was funny."

 

Black Cat sighed, facepalming as her friend's gaze drifted off into space. "Harry..."

 

"What?"

 

"Don't tell me you're daydreaming about them fighting."

 

"You're not?" Harry held out his arms in surprise. He pretended to throw a couple punches, claw a bit, and shoot a web. He gave a kick, and Black Cat caught his leg mid-kick. She threw it back down with frustration.

 

"I could, granted I wasn't in a hurry. In a less demeaning manner than you, that is," Black Cat huffed.

 

Harry rolled his eyes. He put the helmet on his head. It certainly looked like a goblin. A purple stripe streaked from the middle of the crown of the helmet to the extending arch in the back. The helmet had ear-like appendages which extended far back and ended in sharp points. The visor was gold-tinted. Harry's blue eyes couldn't be seen behind it, much to Peter's dismay, but probably for disguise.

 

"Smells like a new car in here!" Harry commented as he removed his jacket. He threw it to Black Cat who caught it, repulsed.

 

Black Cat groaned. "You'll say anything to be a contrarian."

 

Once Harry put the gold plating around his neck, his suit assembled itself like it was unfolding. Royal purple covered the torso, gloves, and boots. The limbs were dark green with fins sticking out from them. The torso was designed like the front of a fast car. It was kind of cute how stylish it was. The whole outfit seemed to be designed for improved aerodynamic ability.

 

Black Cat covered her whole mouth area and hunched over. She glared at Harry.

 

"Harry, it absolutely does not smell like a new car! It smells like a skunk took a bath in a sulfur pond!" she chided.

 

Harry waved a finger. "Now I know you're exaggerating. I'll go as far as burnt Cheetos, but that's as far as I'm extending the definition of 'smells'."

 

"Take it off until we get to our destination!" Black Cat demanded.

 

Harry removed his helmet and squinted at her with a thin smile. "Naggy tonight," he observed. He unclipped his neckpiece and the suit was sucked back into it.

 

"Well, Peter is here. Let's get to the car," Black Cat commanded. She walked briskly past Peter, shouldering him on her way. Barely registering the move, he only slightly turned to look at her.

 

Harry put his elbow on Peter's head as their height difference allowed him to do. Peter was grateful for his costume having a covered nose if Black Cat's word was to be trusted.

 

"This isn't unusual. I am absolutely her tech bitch. I design our stuff, and she leads me around like the aforementioned bitch on a leash," Harry said. On that note, he patted Peter on the shoulder and nodded his head toward the outside of the alleyway. Peter melted under his touch, feeling very included.

 

They exited the trashy alleyway out to the street. There waited a sleek black new Camaro with neon green undercarriage lights. Black Cat slipped into the driver's seat. Harry opened the back door for Peter and allowed him to get in. Then, he entered the passenger's seat. With everyone in the car, Black Cat sped off.

 

Now that they were all together, Peter finally decided to try to get some information about who they were.

 

"So who are you guys, really?" Peter asked whoever would answer.

 

"I am N'Yama. If I told you anything else, you would know exactly who I am. Everything would just be awkward for—"

 

"Oh, Pete, you know Felicia Hardy!" Harry laughed raucously. Black Cat reached her right hand over the dash and pushed him toward his window.

 

She lifted on finger off of the steering wheel. "Harold Theopolis Osborn, I am one snap away from throwing you out of this car," she warned.

 

"Shut up, you love me," Harry teased. Black Cat stared at him until he stopped looking at her.

 

Peter looked up at himself in the rearview mirror. He was grateful for not being so awkward as to be the only person in costume, but still couldn't help but feel standout. He didn't understand why they'd even want him for dogcatcher. Maybe Felicia still had a crush on him from freshman year. But, she didn't act anything like Felicia. These people were a ninety percent chance of business with a possibility of scattered comedic quips. What changed? If anything?

 

Was she still the half-South African girl who jumped at the chance to be his chemistry partner? Did she still steal looks at him out of the corner of her eyes? Had she still meant all her rapid-fire flirting in the hallways? Would she still come to his defense in a fight, or would she now defend Harry first in a dire situation? She wasn't someone who had been terribly important to Peter before, but the switch from status quo was jarring.

 

"Felicia?" Peter questioned. The Felicia he knew was flighty around him, always staring at him, and extremely clumsy even when he wasn't looking at her.

 

"That's my school name. Out in the streets, away from my classmates, I go by N'Yama," Black Cat explained. "But, I suppose you can still call me Felicia."

 

"I mean, I don't usually call you Felicia anyway," Harry pointed out.

 

"You don't do a lot of things anyway," Black Cat retorted.

 

Harry stretched to face Peter. "Hey, have you decided on your hero name? We're coming up on our location quick."

 

Peter blinked quickly. "Hero name? Like Black Cat or like N'Yama?"

 

"Peter!" Harry screeched with laughter. "That's her middle name! It means lion in Xhosa."

 

"How did you do that with your mouth?" Peter asked, referring to the click of the "x".

 

Harry ignored the question. "You could go by something like Spider-Boy to differentiate yourself from Spider-Man."

 

"But I'm a man," Peter protested, clasping his arms. He hated being called "boy". "Could I go with something like Black Spider-Man?"

 

"Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nuh-uh. Not happening," Black Cat said, shutting that field of names down.

 

"That doesn't even flow off the tongue," Harry pointed out. "We'll see what powers you have first before you pick a name. We don't want our image attached to Spider-Man. We'll call you Peter for now. That's a pretty common name."

 

Black Cat parked the car in a large parking garages all the way at the top floor. Peter didn't have a great fear of heights since DC, but there was something about parking garages that gave him a dose of acrophobia. Harry snatched him by the necklace away from the edge.

 

The three crowded around the newly opened trunk of the Camaro. Black Cat removed her collar, allowing her suit to disperse, including her cowl. She placed the collar in a fashionable purse. Underneath her suit, she wore spandex shorts and a sports bra. Felicia shot a look toward Peter and Harry.

 

"If you came to stare, then I am perfectly fine with dangling the two of you over the edge of this building," Felicia informed them.

 

Harry threw up his hands and walked over to the front of the car. He sat on the hood. It must have been his because he certainly was not delicate with it. Not fully understanding the crime of still standing there, Peter leaned against the backseat door and looked away.

 

"I can't believe you're actually a superhero. I mean, who else has a secret identity that I should know about?" Peter complained. He almost opened his mouth to say something again, but was made to splutter when Felicia sprayed perfume on him.

 

When he looked at her again, he saw that she had slipped on a long, shimmering golden dress. It went up to her neck, and had no bare parts except for the opening to her arms and a tad bit of leg below her shorts. She also had gilded heels on and gold teardrop earrings in.

 

She shoved the perfume bottle in Peter's hands.

 

"Give this to the skunk over there," she commanded. "I'll be taking this, by the way."

 

Felicia grabbed for Peter's necklace, and without hesitation, his hand grabbed her wrist with force. She winced at his strength.

 

"What the hell?" she shouted, ripping her arm from his grasp. "Fine! Take it off yourself. You better put it in this purse if you don't want to our cover to be blown!" Furious, she stomped off toward the elevator.

 

What the hell indeed. Something inside of him just told him to keep the necklace on. He couldn't let anyone take it off. He didn't want to let go.

 

Harry moseyed over to Peter with a shocked and sort of frightened look. "Hey, what happened?"

 

"She tried to take off the necklace. I swear I didn't mean to hurt her. It didn't even feel like it was me grabbing her," Peter tried his best to explain. He offered the perfume in apology, but it wasn't taken.

 

Harry sighed. He seemed deeply troubled to hear that, but was more adept at hiding his fear now. He raised his hands toward Peter who flinched at first, but reminded himself to keep his calm. He put both hands around the necklace and gently pressed into them. The suit retracted into the beads. His expression darkened. "Like I said, it's a prototype."

 

Silence transpired from the two as Harry mused, looking at the beads.

 

Harry sighed again. "Lets tux up, Pete. Necklace should look alright with it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so  
> A part of me is like 
> 
> ParksboRn all The Way
> 
> But then another is like. 
> 
> Harry. Felicia. Just.
> 
> Just get together godDaMn.
> 
> but :’) parksborn
> 
> but Felicia teaching Harry Xhosan and showing him vibranium tech omggg
> 
> es all good


	5. Just Gonna Apologize in Advance About This One Being Kinda Short

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys
> 
> I just realized that I never wrote a prom scene
> 
> what a missed opportunity :’)
> 
> (Also if you guys want to tell me what you think about the fic(any questions, comments or concerns), don’t be afraid to leave a comment :) I don’t bite lol)

"Check. Check. Are your earpieces working?" Felicia asked.

 

Though the crowd around them was louder than a helicopter, the voice of Felicia came through to the two boys clearly. Harry, whose left arm was hooked in Felicia's right, gave her a thumbs up. Peter did as well.

 

"Testing. Testing. One, two, three." Peter's eyes danced between Felicia and Harry to see if they heard him.

 

Harry nodded at Peter.

 

"Testicles. Testicles. One, two, three," Harry laughed hoarsely into his mic. The other two stopped dead in their tracks upon hearing his unabashedly coarse and loud mic check. He was jerked out of Felicia's hold from her surprise.

 

"You know people around us can probably still hear," Felicia reminded Harry with wide eyes.

 

Harry spun around and winked at Felicia. He did the whole finger gun routine. "Hashtag—you roight."

 

When Peter and Felicia began walking in front of him, he dashed to catch up. Hands now in his pockets, he strode between the other two with a more chill expression. Harry held out his arm for Felicia to hook onto again. She did, and Peter felt himself tense from envy.

 

Disguised somewhat in the crowd, the three made their way into the newly bought Avengers Tower—now renamed Oscorp. Opening day had been a while back. Tonight was more of an Oscorp Tech Show whose name was self-explanatory. It was meant for inviting new stockholders and potential buyers. Though that was the main event for the majority of the public, it wasn't for the three teenagers attempting to make their way through the crowd. They were intent on stopping a deal in a back room.

 

For the Oscorp Tech Show, the elevators and higher stairways were closed off. Everything was happening in the lobby and first floor. An afterparty was planned for the penthouse of the tower. Biology and genetic experimentation was also a focus of Oscorp, and could possibly be considered their main focus. However, that didn't look good to the shareholders compared to weaponry and modern technology. Thus, no mind was paid to the upper floors upon which biogenetic technology was being worked on.

 

Of course, being a business, Oscorp was not without its backdoors and hidden hallways. Though they had only moved into the tower just day's ago, Harry made sure to explore every nook and cranny of it. He had overheard a business deal transpiring over the phone from his father. Room 4-A was a room completely glossed over in the floor plans. That didn't mean it didn't exist and that backdoor deals couldn't be made there.

 

Harry led the other two through the crowd toward a door situated behind the escalators. He hid behind the rightmost escalator, motioning for Peter and Felicia to do the same. A red-haired man was laughing as he walked toward the room from the left. His company included some men in suits who were carrying steel suitcases, and a man in a tiger coat. It was obvious now that the tiger-coated man was Kraven. Could this have been the backdoor deal they needed to intercept?

 

Reaching into his tux, Harry pulled out a hand. Peter blinked a couple times in confusion. It was the hand of Iron Man. Not Tony's actual human hand—just his Iron Man suit's hand.

 

"Not sure how Dad got Stark's fingerprints, but I'm glad Stark isn't good at moving out. You know how many Iron suits I've found behind walls and under the friggin' floorboards? Dude leaves a trail and a half," Harry said. "Please tell me one of you can summon super strength to break it in half quietly."

 

Felicia looked to Peter. "He didn't take off his necklace. He could rip it in half with his suit's powers."

 

Harry shook his head and massaged his brow, disregarding his previous idea. "No, that would be too loud. We could be spotted if they hear. I think I need to deconstruct it silently." Harry grimaced. His eyes shone with a strange light until Felicia took him by the arm, yanking him closer to her face. His eyes, now frightful, dimmed slightly.

 

"Are you insane? Edging toward death is not going to be helpful for us in the long-run," Felicia stated with a strong steadiness in her voice.

 

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered. He slipped his arm from Felicia's now loose grip.

 

The hand of Iron Man telekinetically levitated in the air. Peter marveled while Felicia turned away at the feat. He had seen something like this in his fight with Captain America. A girl named Wanda could do the same, but she had some red energy coming off of her. Without any aura, Harry worked his hands delicately but intricately in motioning a detachment of the individual pieces of the complicated technology. Iron Man's hand was disassembled with only the part where Tony would've placed his actual hand being salvaged. Other pieces just formed a pile on the floor, not being very important. Harry held the leather part just above his own hand. 

 

Felicia held a finger in front of Harry's face, nearly messing up his focus. "You should've just taken it apart before this. You're gonna hurt yourself."

 

"I could've contaminated the DNA. I needed it to be as clean as possible. As long as I keep this going, I'll be fine," Harry assured her. He sighed with a hesitant smile. It seemed he wasn't completely sure of himself.

 

They were closer now than before as Felicia lightly traced his cheeks with her hands. The two smirked. Harry's eyes were cold and calculating as they glowed an icy blue. Felicia's olive eyes focused on Harry's lips. For a second, it seemed she was ready to move in with shallow breath. But, Harry tilted his head away from her.

 

"Don't. You're not going to get me to stop using telekinesis that way. You know that."

 

"But you're hurting," Felicia quietly protested. She stared at his neck which, even Peter had to admit was looking a little worse for weather. It was almost like it was cracking, revealing a green underside. She reached out to the sore spot and rubbed with her thumb, causing Harry to flinch.

 

He seethed with a contained kind of pain. "You just worry too much."

 

While they silently gazed at each other, Peter toyed with his corsage. He still had it from homecoming. He would've loved to have had Harry or Felicia backing him up during his sophomore year. They had really good chemistry though, and he couldn't help but feel like their third wheel. In fact, it seemed like they were moving into a direction that was never going to include Peter. A little fast, but the relationship was certainly progressing romantically. Peter had obviously been brought into a situation that had been growing long before he even showed up.

 

Once the men disappeared behind the door, Harry motioned for the other two to follow him again. He pressed the patch of leather onto the handprint detector. A stream of air issued forth from the edges of the door as it unlocked surreptitiously.

 

Harry pushed the door open hesitantly. He wasn't looking forward to what awaited him. Felicia followed in after him with much more confidence than he was showing. Peter slouched in, looking over his shoulder before shutting the door behind him.

 

The room was dark except for the New York streetlights shining through the windows which extended from the roof to the floor and the lamplights on the tables. Billiards tables, roulettes, and poker tables filled the room. Peter could've seen Tony and the other Avengers hanging out in here in secret. However, now it was being used as a meeting room for more dastardly business than a gambling game night. Though it was dark, Peter could still make out the gaunt face of the red-haired man and the grizzly Kraven.

 

Suddenly, Harry froze in his tracks as he locked eyes with the red-haired man. Felicia noticed that things were likely to be going down and reached in her purse for the necklaces.

 

"Harold!" the red-haired man sharply exclaimed. He rounded a roulette table to match up to Harry. "I said you could bring a plus one, but not two! And certainly not to follow me around like lost mutts!"

 

Harry shrunk under the reprimanding of the man. He combed a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Dad, I— I must have misinterpreted. I just had to—"

 

"Interrupt my meeting? Because that's what you're doing right now," the red-haired man—Norman—growled. He raised a hand, making Harry flinch. "I'm going to count to three, and you and your friends better have disappeared."

 

Peter was focused on the situation in front of him; Harry seemed to be living a waking nightmare; and due to the family drama distraction, Felicia slipped out from both of their sights. She strutted over to the businessmen playing poker in the back of the room.

 

"One."

 

Felicia took one of the men by the head and smashed his head through his deck of cards and into the poker chips on the table. Immediately, the other four suited men drew their guns. She ducked behind and below the table.

 

"Two."

 

Stealthily, she dragged one of the men on the other side down, making him misfire and hit another businessman in the shoulder. Felicia scampered to grab his gun under the table. She reached in her purse and put on her collar.

 

"Three."

 

With her nanotech suit on, Black Cat stood up, sending the table through the floor-to-roof window. She drew her newly acquired gun on Kraven as soon as she got the chance. He drew a gun from inside his coat. It looked to have room for a lot of things behind it.

 

There was now no way to ignore the business transpiring in the background. Norman whipped around to finally notice the girl setting fire to his trade deal. Harry and Peter edged closer to Kraven and Black Cat while Norman stood deathly still. He fainted shortly. Harry rushed to his father's side, but Peter stayed where he was.

 

"Give up the vibranium, Kraven," Black Cat demanded. "Return everything to Wakanda. That includes the ivory and furs."

 

Kraven gave a deep chuckle. "Funny thing is, I don't care much for your country's little lie. They deserve to be stolen from. If you can't learn to share, then this is going to happen whether you like it or not."

 

Black Cat restrengthened her grip on the pistol she toted. She looked around and noticed other guns pointed at her from the three other businessmen still armed and conscious. The one unarmed but not unconscious began running toward the exit. Black Cat immediately fired at his left leg, bringing him down.

 

"Fuck," she cursed for having to do that. "You got a secret service? Really? World famous hunter has to be accompanied by city suits?" Black Cat tilted her head sarcastically.

 

"They're not for you. I know you're bulletproof. But, I also know you're not traveling alone these days. I found your little tracker. I figured this would be a fun little game of cat and mouse," Kraven explained with disturbed glee. "I think you'll find, little Miss Hero—" Kraven broke his rifle in half and threw it aside. All in the matter of a second, he drew a spear from within his coat and pitched it at Black Cat, nailing her foot. She hissed in pain. "—that you aren't really the cat in this metaphor."

 

Seeing the girl he had come to know as so innocent but deadly take harm made Peter surge with anger. He had to do something, but, as Kraven closed in on her, couldn't help but feel helpless. Surely she could do something? No, she was too busy trying to pull up the spear from the floor. What could he do that she or Harry couldn't do or think to do?

 

His answer came in the form of a whisper in his ear. It was his own, and yet it was a stranger's.

 

"Surrender control. Trust me," it said.

 

Due to the direness of the altercation, Peter had no choice but to trust the voice. Whatever was telling him to stay where he was soon became ignored. His limbs seemed to move on their own as he pressed into the dark green beads around his neck and ran toward Kraven. Now cloaked in his black liquid suit, Peter felt a new confidence in turning the tables.

 

Though he could still form thought—mainly, "Fuck, fuck, fuck, what the fuck am I even doing here?"—his actions weren't entirely his own. His body was filled with new life, and it seemed he could do anything—just not everything his mind was telling him to do even if he could notice every detail about everything in his surroundings. He hoisted Kraven over his head and threw him through the window behind him at full force face first. Miraculously landing on his feet, Kraven glared at Peter dangerously. His exposed face was cut severely in many places, and he wasn't very happy about that.

 

"Peter!" Black Cat screamed. She roared in pain when she finally dislodged the spear in her foot. "What in the hell did you just do?" she demanded to know.

 

"Deal with those suits," Peter commanded with a newfound sense of power that Spider-Man never gave him. "I'll take care of Kraven."

 

Half-offended, and half-stunned, Black Cat just stared at him. "E-Excuse me? Who do you think you are to be ordering me around?"

 

Peter gave no response. Instead, he charged Kraven and met him in a head-on entanglement of hands. Peter tossed him to the side easily. He didn't even care about what was going on inside anymore or about the vibranium deal. All he needed to focus on was that this guy could've killed Felicia and Peter was going to make sure he never got the chance again.

 

Kraven struggled to get up and unsheathed a crossbow from under his coat. He launched an arrow at Peter who caught it with ease. Peter hurled it back at Kraven, striking him in the shoulder. If he hadn't moved just an inch over, it would've hit him in the heart. Realizing he missed his shot to kill, Peter moved in quicker.

 

Voices screamed in Peter's ears, but he tuned them out even though he was trying desperately to listen to their every word of worry. For a second he could almost lift his arm to his ear to tell them he was okay. But, a stronger force threw it back down and commanded him to pursue Kraven at a faster rate.

 

A distraction from his goal came in the form of very loud engines. They were in a no-parking zone. No one would be revving up a car here. Peter looked over his shoulder to find Harry in his metal suit, propelling himself off the ground using a very futuristic glider. It could use some stealth adjustments. But, the looming threat of someone interfering with Peter's directive wasn't distracting enough for Peter to give up on Kraven entirely to fight the new enemy.

 

Noticing Harry and seeing a chance to escape, Kraven took off in a mad dash away from Peter and around the building. Peter gave chase and would've caught up to the man if Harry didn't interpose himself in the conflict. He stopped directly in front of Peter, hovering just above the ground.

 

"Listen to me, Pete. Killing him is not going to do anything. We turn him over to the War Dogs. That's what N'Yama wants and what she wants, we want. You got that?" Harry asked for affirmation.

 

Peter shouldered past Harry. He formed claws from his suit that he hadn't previously known were included in the suit. "What I want is to make sure he never lays a hand on her again."

 

Harry squinted, rearing up. "That's not gonna work for me, buddy."

 

Hanging low in the air, Harry drifted quickly toward Peter and lifted him high into the air by the neck. Peter struggled against the grip, clawing, kicking and shouting out with a underlying clicks in his throaty screams.

 

"This isn't you! It's this fucking suit!" Harry realized. He pressed into the dark green beads around Peter's neck. When the suit contracted into the beads, Harry pulled the necklace so hard that not only did it almost choke a newly weakened Peter to death, but it also snapped the necklace's string. The beads bounced on the road below and rolled off in different directions.

 

They returned to the ground. Harry let Peter go for him to gasp for breath. Meanwhile, he contracted his glider into a staff. He stumbled backward into a sitting position.

 

"I'm sorry I let him g-get awa-away," Peter croaked out, laying on his side which he gripped tightly.

 

Harry waved his fears away. "It's fine. We'll find him again. At least we stopped the vibranium from getting into the hands of Oscorp. We'd've been real fucked if that happened." He stood to walk over to Peter. He sat beside him. "Are you okay?"

 

Peter spluttered an unintelligible response. He stared hard at the ground. His whole organ system felt like it was going into distress. His brain and lungs hurt the most. The breath and thinking power the suit had given him was so substantial and plentiful that what he had before felt like nothing. He could barely even see out of his own eyes after having such advanced eyesight. He needed the suit back. It was too good. His gaze searched tirelessly for the beads, but they were gone for good.

 

Thankfully, Harry didn't seem to notice that area of Peter's breakdown. He picked Peter up, ignoring his groans of pain, and sat him in his lap with his right arm around his chest and his left hand on his knee. Peter set his left arm around Harry's shoulder.

 

"You're gonna be fine. If anyone happens to walk by we'll just tell them we got lost from prom. Also we thought prom was six months early. OK?" Harry joked.

 

Peter tried to laugh, but couldn't get the breath to. He just leaned into Harry's support as much as he could. All he wanted was to rest now and forget that this even happened.

 

Harry shifted Peter's near-dead weight to his right leg. He sighed heavily. "Um. Well, firstly, I'd like to say: you're nowhere near Avengers material. You'd probably claw Captain America's eyes out of he looked at you funny. Which, that is hilarious. But scary. Mostly scary. And, also, it's entirely my fault. I had no idea how violent that... Thing... was. So, I guess, if I have to say anything, really I just have to say: I'm sorry. Completely and truly sorry. I'll take the arrow to the knee on this one, buddy."

 

Peter wanted so badly to respond, but knew the moment he tried to speak, he would be gasping for air. In appreciation, he slid off of Harry's leg entirely and just leaned against his side, but keeping his arm around his shoulders. Harry shifted his arm lower around Peter's waist.

 

Soon, Felicia came strutting out of the broken window space with briefcases in hand. She was dressed in her formal attire as Harry and Peter were.

 

"Hey, N'Yama! We got lost from prom!" Harry shouted to her.

 

"You're six months early!" she replied as she neared. A smile found its way on her lips.

 

Harry chuckled breathlessly. "Oops!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized why I never wrote a prom scene
> 
> it’s because


	6. Raise Your Hand if You’re Ready For Another Villain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tfw u gotta meet ur crushes other friends
> 
> and you’re like 
> 
> >:0 competition

September came and went. Peter and Harry developed a close friendship which soon evolved from talking at lunch to going out to house visits. But, when asked about new missions, Harry fidgeted with the idea, then made false promises, and finally avoided the subject altogether. Peter knew they were still going on. When he went into the night as Spider-Man, he could see Harry gliding through the sky—Black Cat was never far behind. September then felt like the month of betrayal.

 

Weeks passed, and soon it was October. Peter was sure he'd be asked to go out to Homecoming by Felicia for the third time. However, in the biology-chemistry corner, Peter was rudely awakened to Harry getting to her first. Then, Peter realized that he really was the third wheel. He didn't go to Homecoming that year and instead hung out with MJ and Ned who also skipped out.

 

November was pretty much nothing. Academic meets, preparation for semester exams, and random hangouts with a handful of friends. Crime was at a low for once. Worst that Peter had fought was a villain very accurately named Paste-Pot Pete. November was a short and meaningless month.

 

Winter came at the eve of December, and that's where everything started happening at once. And it all started with a visit to Oscorp.

 

Specifically, Peter was headed toward the penthouse of Oscorp where Harry lived. Every time Peter saw the tower, he couldn't help but be reminded of Tony Stark and the Avengers. But those days were in the past, and now the Osborns lived and ruled the technology competition there.

 

The lobby was much cleaner than the night of the vibranium trade deal. Some upgrades to the Oscorp building had clearly been made. Shining white floors greeted Peter at the entrance. It was always like stepping into an Apple store except it was the whole building. Peter wondered how anyone could stand being here all the time. Maybe they turned the lights in the walls and floors off at night. Or, maybe they colored them black at night. That was a question he'd have to ask Harry.

 

To get up to the penthouse, a passcode had to be entered, but a fingerprint scanner worked just as well. Thankfully, Harry had entered Peter into the fingerprint registry. This was how most of the important floors of research and experimentation worked.

 

As Peter entered the elevator, a strange man pushed past him in a hurry to get on. Peter just walked on into the elevator, stunned. The strange man was blonde with cracked reading glasses on his face and two perfectly fine pairs of reading glasses hanging out of lab coat pocket. Standing out was his apparent lack of left arm. The man frantically pushed the floor he was going to and its pin code. When he noticed Peter, he nearly went into a panic attack.

 

With how frightened the man was, Peter wasn't sure if it was okay, but he extended his hand to him.

 

It had been more than a few seconds, but Peter kept his arm out. "I'm Peter Parker. And you are?"

 

Slowly, the man reached out and shook Peter's hand. After a second, he yanked his hand back. "Dr. Curtis Connors," he introduced himself promptly.

 

Wryly smiling, Peter nodded. He recognized the man's name, but last he checked, he was a giant lizard with a spear in his arm. Now knowing who he was, Peter was fine with an awkward silence.

 

"Peter, I'm sorry you had to... see what you had to see," Dr. Connors spoke up. Peter gave him a look of confusion, causing the doctor to elaborate. "My transformation came as a result of stress from Mr. Norman Osborn yelling at me to go pick Harry up from academic practice. He's always stressed out since he can't leave the building. Harry told me about everything later."

 

"It's okay, Sir. Don't worry." Peter smiled as brightly as he could muster. The night of the vibranium trade deal gave him a taste of what it was like to lose control.

 

"It's not okay. I'm a scaly Hulk," Dr. Connors mused sadly. His attention turned to his left arm. He massaged his left shoulder in remembrance. Peter pieced together that he lost his arm and tried to get it back by turning himself into a monster. But, Peter wasn't going to hold that against him.

 

"Dr. Connors? It's okay. You can't blame yourself. It wasn't you," Peter asserted.

 

Dr. Connors' expression lit up with gratitude. "Thank you, Peter. You're a good kid. No wonder Harry likes you so much."

 

Convenience allowed Dr. Connors to leave the elevator at that moment. Peter continued his ride up to the penthouse.

 

Not as bright as the lobby, but just as filled with potted plants, the penthouse living room gave off a very much living air. Peter couldn't count the amount of aloes and canna lilies. Some had disappeared from the porch and were brought inside for the winter. The penthouse was somewhat like an expensive hotel room but with a large kitchen, an expansive living room area, a couple bedrooms and bathrooms, and a closed-off loft which was pretty much a bedroom. The circular architectural scheme still stuck from when it was Tony's and the Avengers'. Peter's business was on the loft floor.

 

Harry slid back the one-way glass loft door, and invited Peter into his room. The room was circular as well with a tacky orange carpet in the middle of it and a king size bed at the back. It also led out to a porch area which extended down to around the living room. A working desk sat against a wall of thick one-way glass. There, Harry secretly worked to tear apart Iron Man suits and Oscorp technologies to suit his needs. Everything he had designed was handmade and usually on display in his room with the exception of the Black Cat suit. Much to Peter's dismay, Harry never tried again to create a suit for Peter again, though he didn't really need it.

 

After beckoning Peter into his room, Harry sat back down at his desk. Peter would've dragged a seat next to him to watch him work on his machinery like usual, but was distracted by some new faces who had crowded around Harry's desk already.

 

They numbered three. One guy shared Harry's raven-black hair, but was much taller, lankier,  and donned Harry Potter's glasses. Peter could've honestly mistaken him for the wizard himself. The second guy had light brown hair and a lifeguard kind of body. Peter didn't blame him for wanting to show it off by wearing a tank top and shorts in the winter. The last guy wasn't very standout. A weather-appropriate scarf was the only thing to point out. Oh yeah, besides the fact that he was blue, had gleaming yellow eyes, and had a demon's tail. Upon noticing him, Peter pieced together that these three were also mutants.

 

Harry stopped taking apart an Iron Man arm to smile up at Peter. "Don't make yourself a stranger, Pete! These are my academic guys from Xavier's!" Harry turned somewhat to face a couple of them. "Guys, this is my Midtown academics friend, Peter Parker. He's a normie," Harry rolled his eyes jokingly.

 

Peter mustered an awkward smile at the other guys in the room and waved. In truth, he had recognized the bespectacled boy and the blue guy as being on the academic team at Xavier's. Midtown was the only school that would even go up against them in a quick recall match at one point. Harry had eventually revealed his past at the school, but Peter always felt that Harry was the same nice guy no matter where he was from.

 

The bespectacled boy reached across Harry's desk to shake Peter's hand. It was a firm handshake that Peter never thought he'd escape from. "Otto Octavius. Pleasure to meet you. I'm the captain of the academic team. We've met and we'll meet again, I'm sure."

 

"Yeah, he replaced me as captain when I left. They call him The Living Brain now," Harry said absentmindedly as he went back to work on disassembling the Iron Man arm.

 

Otto scoffed and shook his head. He crossed his arms and looked away. "Please, Harry. I'm too humble to accept that nickname."

 

Peter furrowed his brow. Surely if someone was humble, they wouldn't acknowledge it. Already, he could tell that the guy was smarmy.

 

Interrupting his thoughts, the blue kid attempted a smile at Peter. He had been smiling at Peter for a while now, but had just been noticed. The lifeguard dude shoved the blue kid slightly to get him to stop.

 

"You're gonna scare him off, Kurt," the lifeguard dude warned sternly.

 

Kurt's brows upturned in disbelief. He pointed at his fanged teeth. "Professor Logan said I should smile more often. He says people find smiling 'endearing'. I don't know what that means, but it sounds good." His voice was overly calm and naive-sounding with an accent that was very heavily German.

 

"Actually—" The lifeguard dude smirked and rested his arm on Harry's chair. "—'endearing' means nasty or troubling. Because like, it's a combination of 'end' and 'ear' so it's like an end to your ears. As in—biting them off like a sprite would do. It's from an old fable about evil fairies. You're definitely endearing."

 

Hearing the dude's false explanation burned at Peter, especially when Kurt's voice faltered, hurt by the misunderstanding. Peter raised his hand to be noticed. "No, it doesn't mean that. 'Endearing' means cute or charming. You're not 'nasty or troubling'. You're the nice kind of endearing," Peter reassured Kurt.

 

"Oh. Thanks. Bench is always trying to rile me up," Kurt said.

 

Their attention soon turned to Harry out of a lack of know-how in continuing conversation with new acquaintances. Harry struggled to pull out a small laser blaster from an arm cavity. Otto watched with anticipation. A few more attempts were given to grabbing the laser out before Harry surrendered the arm to Otto. The arm floated in front of Otto as he easily detached the laser blaster from the arm cavity. In fact, he went so far as to take the whole thing apart, laying the parts in front of Harry.

 

It was cool, but Peter found it more confusing than anything else. He wondered if he had telekinesis like Harry. He didn't seem to be hurt by it, so maybe that meant it wasn't telekinesis.

 

"I didn't need all of it in pieces, Otto. I just wanted the lasset shooter." Harry looked up annoyedly at Otto.

 

"Well, now you have a bunch of parts that you can use for later," Otto said, gesturing to the scrap metal.

 

Harry raised his brows. "Yeah, that I'm going to have to reassemble."

 

"Are you not grateful?" Otto sneered.

 

Kurt sidestepped between Otto and Bench, but focused his attention on the former. "Hey, hey—let's not fight."

 

"Who said we were fighting? I'm not fighting. I'm not even upset. Just pointing out the fact that the Living Brain was showing off to an obviously unimpressed crowd," Harry chuckled insincerely.

 

As Harry examined the wires hooking into the blaster, the machinery fell apart in his hands. Harry smacked his hand on the table and stood from his seat. Peter backed away, having never seen him angry like this. Bench and Otto stayed in place while Kurt disappeared in a purple smoke and reappeared on the ceiling. This was probably a common occurrence if Otto was brave enough to still remain by Harry's side. The two faced each other with scowls on their lips.

 

"You wanna go, Octavius?" Harry threatened. "I'll beat your ass in worse than last time."

 

Otto pushed up his glasses and shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. "Your mouth is going to get you in a lot of trouble, Osborn. I think I'll tape it shut this time."

 

With their brawl being officially on now, Harry threw the first punch which Otto clumsily dodged. Clinging to the edge of the desk, he effortlessly slung Harry onto his back with only the wave of a hand. Otto repositioned himself away from the desk.

 

"If you're going to fight me, then you should probably remove your watch. That's just too easy," Otto snarked. He pushed his glasses up again and slung Harry toward his door like a rag doll. He curled into a ball, trying to hide his wrists.

 

"Please stop," Harry wheezed. "I cede!"

 

Otto tilted his head and pouted. "Hm. I could because I'm your friend. But, at the same time, I don't like my intelligence being insulted." He threw up his left arm, dragging Harry up by his watch. It was now made clear that Otto could control metallic objects.

 

Peter watched the fight for long enough. He attempted to tackle Otto to throw him off his rhythm. Otto barely noticed in time and while not dropping Harry, he guided his right hand in an attempt to redirect Peter into the wall. He had locked on unknowingly to Peter's emergency web shooters. He was successful, and without thinking, Peter attached himself to the wall. Besides Otto whose gaze was affixed on Harry, the mutants marveled at Peter's discovered ability; so, he took that as his chance to grab Otto from the back. Landing on top of Otto, Peter gave Harry a chance to escape Otto's grasp and throw his watch to the side.

 

"Not fair! You don't see me getting help from Bench!" Otto squawked.

 

Harry pinched his brow and sighed. "Come on. If Dad hears this, you're all probably going to get banned from the loft." He held a more serious face than Peter was used to, his eyes glowing a bright blue. Peter felt himself lifted off of Otto and onto the floor. Harry then clapped his hand to his neck and hissed in pain. His knees nearly buckled. Lifting anything bigger than Peter probably would cause him to faint or worse.

 

Scrambling to his feet, Otto grasped the back of the chair nearest him. He spluttered for breath and gaped at Peter.

 

"S-So you're a m-mutant too?" Otto stammered, looking wildly at Peter.

 

Peter had no idea how to respond. In truth, he wasn't born with his powers like them. He was bitten by a spider. He was the Radioactive Spider-Man. But, to give up this origin story was to infer that he was Spider-Man. Kurt and Harry could probably be trusted, and maybe even Bench, but Otto was entirely on Peter's shitlist now. There was no way he could reveal that secret, and especially not to put Harry in danger due to his own superheroing. Spider-Man worked alone and to involve Harry was to involve Felicia and maybe even these guys. That wasn't in Peter's prerogative. Then again, to confirm or deny Otto's suspicion was to lie. He had to choose the best of the bad options.

 

"Yes. I am," Peter affirmed falsely though the answer came out smooth and naturally. He sat down and rested his arm on his knee.

 

Kurt dropped from the ceiling in front of Peter, grinning ear from ear. He held up a three-fingered hand. "Same powers!" They high-threed/fived.

 

"Why didn't you tell me? I would've introduced you all earlier!" Harry laughed, breath taken by this new but made-up piece of information.

 

Harry was absolutely blown away, and Kurt and Bench were pretty happy about the news. Otto, however, simply sneered at Peter as he leaned over Harry's chair.

 

Peter shrugged and looked away from them all. His heart wrenched more and more the longer the lie hung in the air. He had a feeling that he would come to regret this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so torn on Otto here bc while I love making him conniving and viciously competitive... in the TASM version, there would’ve been a build-up to that from him actually being a huge dork who would’ve dropped everything to help someone out.
> 
> A lot of his character in the previous version came from surprise surprise, Spider-Man 2(a lost significant other + passion for nuclear fusion + docility until the accident). 
> 
> This version of Otto is going to be very different :)


	7. This Was Set Up For Another Plot Point That Went Nowhere So I Cut It. You’re Welcome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sometimes you fight a vampire and end up on your crush’s balcony
> 
> it just be like that sometimes
> 
> sometimes you almost miss a daily upload
> 
> it just be like that sometimes

Over the horizon, the full moon beckoned. It was just on the building of Oscorp that Spider-Man had fought an escaped experiment. He was half-man, half-bat. Thought himself a vampire. Odd didn't even begin to describe the eccentric but deadly guy. Peter reminded himself to wear a ring of garlic next time he saw that guy. For now though, he could relax on the rooftop and watch the New York fog pass the giant white celestial object facing him.

 

A ring alerted him to his phone. He fished it from a pocket Tony designed in his suit. Peter answered it promptly without looking at the caller.

 

"Peter? Are you alright? I just got in," said the voice of Ned who Peter had forgotten was staying the night.

 

Peter bounced to his feet. "Ned! I'm so sorry. I got held up with this Morbius guy! I didn't even realize how long it'd been."

 

"It's alright. Mrs. Parker's a little worried," Ned informed him.

 

"Oh gosh. I swear I'll be right there. Also, when I get there, can you tell me if my neck has puncture holes? I think that Morbius guy bit me." Peter rubbed his sore neck.

 

"Sure. See you soon, Peter." With that, Ned hung up.

 

With a sigh, Peter sat back down. His ribs still throbbed from being thrown around so much. He grunted as he attempted to get up. His knees fell underneath him. If not for his ability to stick to the surface of the building, he would've rolled right off.

 

Once again, Peter's phone rang. He answered a little more hesitantly, and this time, he looked at the caller ID. When he saw that it was Tony Stark, he almost dropped his phone. He pressed the green button without hesitation.

 

"Hello!" Peter exuberantly greeted the man. He suddenly found the strength to hop up and down excitedly. He couldn't believe he was finally getting word from an Avenger again.

 

"Peter?" Tony questioned. He seemed taken aback by the tone of the young boy.

 

"Yes!" Peter accidentally shouted, no longer aware of his volume button.

 

"I'm having a Christmas get together for the Avengers—or, what's left of them. Pepper recommended I invite you as well. I called your aunt to make sure it was okay if you came and she approved. So, how would you like to stay over at the Avengers HQ for your Christmas Break?"

 

Peter was stunned silent. He couldn't formulate a single thought from all the joy circulating in is brain. He left Tony hanging a bit, so he replied with a quick question, "How do I tell others?"

 

"You're doing it for the internship," Tony answered coolly. "If you wanted, I might even allow you to bring a plus one."

 

Peter gasped with pleasure. Of course he would bring Ned! He obviously had to. That would be the best surprise to come to their sleepover with.

 

"That's great! I'm gonna bring my best friend! I'll let you know if he says 'ok'!" Peter announced.

 

"Alright, kid. And keep your voice down—you never know who's listening."

 

"Yes, Sir," Peter whispered.

 

"Not that low, but okay. Call me back with your decision. I'll have Happy pick you up before the first day of winter."

 

"Thank you so much, Mr. Stark."

 

"Of course."

 

Tony hung up, leaving Peter clinging to his phone with heart eyes. The feeling of euphoria from the thought of the trip caused him to forget he was dangling off the side of a building. Upon forgetting this, he dropped off the side of it, landing on a porch. Anyone watching would've mistaken him for a cat as he managed to land on his feet.

 

Footsteps alerted Peter to the presence of someone inside. He made the split decision to take off his suit and quickly hide it in a hardy winter plant. Underneath, he wore a simple tank and shorts. Hopefully the other presence wouldn't notice his strange appearance.

 

The porch door slid back to reveal Harry. He smiled upon seeing Peter. Though, his calculating look told Peter that he did notice his strange appearance.

 

"Going for a nightcrawl, eh?" Harry asked, eyes fixated on Peter's shorts.

 

"Uh... 'nightcrawl'?" Peter raised a brow.

 

Harry gave a short laugh. "Kurt does it all the time. I find him on my porch sometimes. Nightcrawling is just finding the best perch at night to watch the New York skyline from. Kurt loves it." He leaned against the doorframe with a reminiscent smile. "I can't believe you didn't tell me about being a mutant. If you want, I could give you an honorary X-Men name. How about 'Wallcrawler'? Good, right?"

 

"Yeah..." Peter combed a hand through his hair and looked off to the side, half flattered and half ashamed. "Speaking of the mutant thing... thing is... just... sorry about that—"

 

"Do you want to come in?" Harry offered quickly. Peter stared at him. "I-I figure you're cold. Out here... in the cold."

 

"I don't know that I can. I gotta get back home. Ned's waiting on me to marathon the Star Wars movies. He thinks the prequels suck but I think they're the best ones so I'm gonna try to prove it," Peter explained.

 

"The sequels are good too. I liked The Last Jedi so I burnt it onto a blank disc," Harry murmured.

 

"Well, I certainly don't have the sequels," Peter admitted.

 

"I could lend them to you," Harry offered. "Come in and I'll get them for you."

 

Peter shrugged and followed him in. Scrap metal and Iron Man heads were strewn across the desk, under it, and around it. One head laid on the chair. Harry had hustled over to the shelves beneath his flat-screen tv.  He scrambled to find the DVDs he promised Peter.

 

While he waited, Peter took a seat on Harry's bed seeing as the chair was occupied by the head of a decapitated Iron Man. A grunt came from underneath the bed when Peter sat down on it. Curious, he took another look around and noticed Kurt's scarf was hanging around Harry's bedside standup lamp. Peter examined Harry. He was wearing the same shirt that Kurt was when he met him. This made Peter raise a brow.

 

Harry huffed as he hurried to hand the two Star Wars sequels over to Peter. Now that Peter could see the shirt from the front, he definitely recognized it as the reindeer turtleneck Kurt was wearing.

 

"Here's the movies. I hope you guys have a good time," Harry said quickly.

 

"Yeah, thanks." Peter smiled. Though, it faltered when now, up close, he noticed the bruising on Harry's arms from earlier events. "Harry... are you okay?" Peter asked, worried.

 

"Don't mind it. Otto and I have always been rivals. He likes to prove that he's smarter, stronger, and just better than me in every way. Most times I just let him win. We fight like that all the time, but it's all in good fun," Harry said quietly, a disturbance hidden in his tone. Clearly the subject bothered him, so Peter didn't press further.

 

From under the bed, Duran Duran's Hungry Like the Wolf started playing in a ringtone format. Then, there was the sound of a phone being broken in half. Harry froze and turned a very tomato-y shade of red. He pushed the DVDs into Peter's arms.

 

"Everything alright down there?" Peter asked with concern.

 

"Just fine! We're—I'm fine." Harry fake-coughed.

 

Peter pursed his lips inward. His stomach lurched. He shouldn't have invaded his privacy like this. He had to make it up to him.

 

"Hey, thanks, Harry. Uhm..." Peter hesitated, unsure if he should offer the trip to Avengers HQ in apology. He blew awkwardly. "You know I've got this internship with Tony Stark, and uh... well... if you're not doing anything this Christmas Break... Harry, would you like to come to Tony Stark's Christmas party with me?" he asked without a second thought. Ned would just have to wait until the next opportunity. Peter's heart stopped beating as he waited for an answer. It was almost as bad as asking Liz out to Homecoming last year. Nope. It was worse.

 

Harry blinked rapidly. He opened his mouth to speak a couple times but closed it to think a bit more. Finally, he said, "Yeah. Yeah, that sounds great."

 

Peter's heart soared. He hugged the DVDs to his chest, grinning from ear to ear.

 

"When do we leave? You know what—enjoy the movies, and I'll text you later. Is that alright?" Harry asked as he guided Peter outside.

 

"Yes, definitely," Peter replied.

 

He stood outside while Harry remained in the doorframe. This almost felt like the part where someone would steal a kiss and run. At least, Peter felt it did, granted Kurt was out of the picture.

 

"Well..." Harry bit his lip.

 

"Uh..." Peter rubbed the back of his neck, not knowing how to say goodbye.

 

They stared in silence.

 

"So are you and—"

 

"Nah. We're not doing the whole base thing. Just a nigthtcrawl and I was working and— yeah, we kissed a bit."

 

"Cool. Cool."

 

"Yup."

 

"Uh... you and Felicia...?"

 

"Bye, Pete."

 

"Oh. Okay. Yeah. See you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it just be like that sometimes
> 
> (questions, comments, concerns? leave ‘em in the comment box :D would love to hear some feedback)


	8. Whole Chapter is an Action Scene and There Will be a Room Referenc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry in advance for the room reference

Dreams weren't very important. One dream could see you trapped in a mirror while a whole Tyrannosaurus is being thrown at a cat. Another could see you face to face, boxing with a mountable singing fish. Then, it is entirely feasible to dream of dancing down a yellow brick road with Vision, Iron Man, and the Hulk. Thus, no matter what media says, dreams can't be trusted to be prophetic. That is, unless the dream is recurring.

 

Again, Peter woke from the same nightmare he had been having for weeks since having met Harry. Over and over, he would be forced to remain helpless, drifting in space while Harry fought some kind of space octopus. Then, everything would fade to dust before he could step in. There was nothing to stop this nightmare, and so, when he stirred from his sleep because of it, he had to soothe his mind, lest he slip right back into it. Sometimes, he had the nightmare more than once in the same night after already having woken up from it.

 

Tonight was a good night for a "nightcrawl" as Harry called it. Peter found himself using a lot of Harry's mannerisms and ways of speaking. He was gesturing with his hands a lot more, snapping his fingers, winking, and everything in-between. It was annoying for some, but it just felt right. Even Harry was now using those puppy-dog eyes look that Peter had mastered. Their influence on each other was undeniable.

 

Just to keep his ears focused and to justify his use of the Spider-Man costume, Peter tuned into his police scanner. It was given to him courtesy of Captain Stacy who had recently come into Peter's favor. Saving the daughters of worried fathers tended to win points with both the former and latter.

 

Sigh. Of course it had to be the usual silence. A yawn escaped Peter's maw. Carefully, and tiredly, he laid down on the edge of an apartment building's roof. He was fine with just going to sleep right there. He didn't need warm milk, just the hope that he wouldn't have the nightmare again. With his fear dispelled by sheer will and heavy lids, Peter found himself dozing off.

 

"Zzz..."

 

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......"

 

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........."

 

"10-35. 36th Street. Does anyone copy? Over."

 

"Zzz!?"

 

"We copy. Can you give us the 10-101? Over."

 

"We're getting reports of a break-in at Humboldt Vineyard, 36th Street. We need a squad around the perimeter. Witness says someone blew up the front of the house with a projectile bomb. Entered in on a glider, they said. Over."

 

Peter shot up like a rubber-band. That couldn't be Harry. Nothing could motivate him to do something that dire. He was a good guy. He'd do anything for Felicia or anyone in need. If it was him, then it had to be for the greater good. Peter had to make sure, but he couldn't do it as Peter.

 

Slipping his mask on, Spider-Man sprang through the air and attached his webs to the nearest building. He had to get there before any cops could arrest Harry. Thankfully, 36th Street wasn't too far from his location. He reached it by the time the full moon had just passed the Empire State Building.

 

Humboldt's Vineyard was once a famous mansion for its grapes and producing of homemade wine. It seemed only recent that all that literally went up in flames as a new owner arrived after the previous sold out. Now, entry was blocked into the pseudo-log cabin. No longer was it a tourist attraction or even a cool place to hang around. Rumor had it, the new owner of the mansion would chase anyone who lingered at the gates.

 

Crashing onto a newly arrived police car, Spider-Man rose up from a crouched posture. He ignored the upset looks of the police to watch the smoke billow out from the middle of the stories of the two-story mansion in front of him. Spider-Man hopped off of the roof of the car and shot a web into the burning hole in the mansion.

 

Where the wall ended, Spider-Man vaulted over and into the mansion's den. Shag carpet was ripped to shreds; a taxidermy bear was thrown into a corner; the fireplace's fire was still going; chairs and mounted taxidermy heads were strewn about; a staff was lodged in the wall; and a hole was made to walk through beside the door. Spider-Man walked thought it and into the hallway.

 

"Tell me, do you feel guilty stealing from me as much as your ancestors did for my ancestors?"

 

Felicia. Of course.

 

"Girlie, you have no idea the pleasure I take in stealing from those hypocrites."

 

Kraven, no doubt.

 

A hacking could be heard from him. Then, choking sounds.

 

"Well, we don't feel very guilty stealing from you."

 

Harry! But... what was he talking about?

 

Cautiously, Spider-Man crawled along the ceiling until he ended up in the expansive trophy room. Skeletons, taxidermies, hanging ivories, and recreations of dinosaurs, other extinct animals, and strange mythical animals were on display. Some areas like the Amazon and the Congo were displayed behind glass with the diaspora of their jungles. It was very clear that Kraven was a hunter. In the middle of the room, Harry held Kraven down by the neck while Felicia circled the perimeter. Thankfully, no one was looking up. Spider-Man tumbled off the ceiling and onto the balcony which looked over the room.

 

Kraven's sneer could be seen from yards away. "You got your vibranium fair and square. Be done with me. I've got nothing else for you."

 

Harry tilted his head. "Except for cutting edge nanotechnology that you stole from some company. Seeing as they're not particularly missing it and you're not using it, I think we could take it and use it for ourselves with relative ease."

 

"That seems about right."

 

Felicia and Harry were taken by surprise by the admission from Kraven. Quitting the job of scanning the area, Felicia quickly joined Harry's side.

 

Kraven looked between the two of them and waved a hand in explanation. "I mean, it would be. Y'know, if I wasn't smart and didn't know that you weren't followed."

 

With a tinge of reluctance but mostly fear, Harry let go of Kraven's neck. He backed up and looked around. Immediately, his eyes caught Spider-Man on the balcony. He lifted an arm and fired a missile from an arm cavity. Spider-Man would've been blown to smithereens as the railing, wall, and floor was if his flight response didn't override his utter shock that Harry could ever shoot at him. Perhaps now the guise of Spider-Man was doing more damage than the anonymity could make up for.

 

In order to try to calm him down, Spider-Man landed beside Harry. He threw his hands out in front of him. "I'm not here to hurt anyone. I just needed to see what—"

 

Not having any of Spider-Man's excuses, Black Cat came in swinging with claws which weren't easily dodged as Peter hopped back a step for each swing. She nailed him in the chest with her right hook, knocking him to the side. He side somersaulted and got back onto his feet. Looking behind him, he backed into a post. Again, he tried surrendering movements.

 

"I don't want to hurt you. Just tell me what's going on," he pleaded.

 

Black Cat pointed with a clawed forefinger. "That is for us to know, and you to leave in peace." She sprang at Spider-Man and got her nails stuck in the post when he dodged. "You are becoming a nuisance!" she roared.

 

"Tell me something I don't know," Spider-Man quipped. He webbed her hands to the post. "Sorry, by the way!"

 

Looking at the hurt figure of Kraven, then the mortified look of Harry(unbelieving the fact that he nearly killed someone), and the helpless image of Black Cat, Spider-Man took a step back to think about his original goal. All he wanted to do was help Harry, and now he just fucked it up. They had Kraven right where they wanted him, but everything just got fucked up because now the focus was on the new potential enemy. Spider-Man still couldn't find it in himself to forgive Kraven for pulling a gun on Black Cat, but the man hadn't done anything since that he knew of. Peering down at his clenched fist, Spider-Man let it hang to his side. He gave a hidden but unwavering and unforgiving stare to Kraven.

 

Their attentions were soon taken by Kraven grabbing Harry by his leg and circle throwing him under the balcony. Kraven stood and suavely removed a spear from within his coat which at this point, was assumed to be vibranium. Grabbing another bomb from his belt, Harry attempted to pitch it at Kraven. With quick thinking, Spider-Man snatched it with a web and slung it into a balcony post, making it collapse onto Harry. Hopefully his armor would protect him.

 

Stunningly, every piece of the debris was levitated above Harry's head and shot at Kraven who could only turn his back to the damage. After being pelted with wood, he threw a spear at Harry who pitched it right back at him before it could touch him. Kraven's arm was barely nicked, but he caught it.

 

Kraven focused on Spider-Man, trying to stab him at every point that he could get close. Frustrated that his target was dodging too much, he tossed it at a weakly approaching but unsuspecting Harry, clipping his side. Kraven then pulled out a rifle from underneath his coat.

 

"Hey, how are you keeping all that in your coat? Is it like a pocket dimension?" Spider-Man questioned. He barely dodged a bombardment of bullets. He leapt down from his perch on the balcony to kick Kraven in the face. "And what does everyone want from you?"

 

Kraven didn't answer, instead he whipped around and grabbed Harry—who tried to charge the distracted hunter with his own spear— by the helmet. The hunter threw him at Spider-Man. The two crashed after rolling a couple times on the mahogany flooring.

 

"What are you doing? We had him!" Harry snarled. A grimace was visible in his eyes as close as Spider-Man was.

 

Spider-Man was frozen. He couldn't hurt Harry at this point and wasn't sure of what to do.

 

"Hey, who made your suit?" Harry suddenly asked.

 

Spider-Man was taken aback by the casual question. "Tony Stark," he replied just as quickly.

 

"Nice. Send my regards to Stark then."

 

Harry gave him a strong jab that took him out from under him. Annoyed, Spider-Man had to retaliate in some way. Once he got to his feet, he webbed Harry's visor and slung it down, breaking it. Harry ran off toward the room which Spider-Man had entered the mansion from.

 

Loose from her bindings, Black Cat attacked Spider-Man from behind, leaving three slashes in his suit and slightly smaller open cuts. He screamed out in agony but managed to stumble away from her and seek higher ground.

 

"I will not hesitate to kill you if you lay another hand on him!" Black Cat called out with a deadly serious tone in her voice.

 

"What? Is he your boyfriend or something?" Spider-Man teased with a tinge of oblivious jealousy. If only he could hear himself.

 

In an attempt to be threatening, Black Cat unsheathed her claws again. Her expression was troubled and scrunched up. "Choose your next words more carefully."

 

Spider-Man landed next to her and the two locked into an exchange of left and right hooks and kicks. Spider-Man webbed a Tyrannosaurus skull from its open display and swung it toward Black Cat, hoping she would dodge but be distracted. As the bone crumbled over her with Black Cat unharmed, it was as if nothing happened.

 

Since Black Cat was occupying Spider-Man's attention, Harry returned with his staff and a steel suitcase. He attempted to engage in blunt force combat with her, using his staff as a long-range weapon and the suitcase for short-range. While they were all distracted, Kraven retreated into another room.

 

Once the duo realized this, Harry turned his staff into his glider. He threw a bomb at the back wall, making an escape route. Black Cat managed to run the other way at speed comparable to an expert track runner. Spider-Man decided to pursue Harry as he was currently getting away with the stolen items.

 

Outside, Spider-Man caught Harry by the helmet with a single web and pulled him back off his glider. The glider folded into a staff as soon as its owner's weight was removed from it. It landed somewhere in the grass as did the suitcase.

 

With the situation lacking its previous hectics, Spider-Man took the time to look around he garden. The vineyard was definitely gone as far as rumors went. But, there was a field of iridescent purple flowers which now replaced it. Little trenches were dug in-between each row of flowers. The middle path was paved with brick. The garden wasn't completely gone or destroyed—just reshaped.

 

Harry tumbled over to lay on his back. He clutched his side and hissed in pain. His blue eyes, now visible due to the broken visor, trailed up to Spider-Man's approaching figure. He tried to back away, but found himself in too much pain. He looked ready to pass out from the damage he had sustained.

 

"Why are you here? That's all I wanted to know," Spider-Man said, despairing over Harry's broken appearance.

 

Unable to stop himself, he reached out a hand to the boy below him. Harry quickly smacked the hand away. Still, Spider-Man leaned down and removed the boy's hand to examine the blows. He was bleeding green. Spider-Man chalked that up to Harry's being a mutant. Other than that, it was quite clear that his armor was falling apart mostly due to the collapsed balcony.

 

"Don't touch me motherfucker. Fuck you and the clique you claim," Harry moaned.

 

With only a slight hesitation for fear of retaliation against him, Spider-Man traced his fingers across the major cut at Harry's side. Harry didn't do anything but lay a limp hand on Spider-Man's.

 

"Kraven stole nanotechnology from Oscorp because of a mistake on my part. I tried to stop a deal and he took what he wanted anyway. My father isn't going to miss the tech. If I could get my hands on it, I could design better tech to stop crooks like Kraven," Harry explained. It took a while for him to get everything out since his breathing was so shallow. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Just leave me be, man. You really fucked this up, my dude."

 

Disregarding the request, Spider-Man pulled him up onto his leg, trying to think of a way to get him out of the garden. He tried to stand Harry up with pained protests coming from the boy. Harry latched onto Spider-Man's waist. To clean up the scene, Spider-Man grabbed the staff in the corner of the garden with a web. With that, they could've had an easy escape.

 

Except, Black Cat pounced on Spider-Man, pulling his grip from Harry. More careless than Spider-Man as to the condition of her partner, she grabbed Harry and the glider, using the latter to escape with him.

 

As worried as he was, Spider-Man knew that Harry was in safe hands with Felicia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter originally existed to introduce Silk. Then, for sake of conciseness for the story, I removed her altogether. Now it exists for other reasons.
> 
> Also, I wanted to build up a rivalry between Green Goblin and Spider-Man, but that just bogged the story down sooooo much. I love the trope of Harry hating Spider-Man but liking Peter but it just made so many things complicated.


	9. I Guess You Guys Deserve Some Fluff so Here You Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah its the parksborn fluff that you always wanted

There was no doubt that Harry and Felicia’s missions were getting more and more dangerous. Every time Peter had visited Harry, it seemed he had a new bruise or healing gash. Peter wished Harry would throw him a bone and let him help again.

 

The raven-haired boy also appeared to be working harder on the tech he used on his missions. Now with working night vision and surveillance, he christened his latest super suit the “Green Goblin 2.0”. He also made a lamp out of an Iron Man leg.

 

One Friday night, Peter found himself back at Oscorp, having a late-night study session with Harry to finish up Christmas Break homework before it would become a problem. Peter could do it all by himself with no problem, but he wasn’t about to turn down an opportunity to hang out with Harry.

 

At this point, while laying on an open AP US History book, gazing up at Harry as if he was a beautiful moon on an clear night, Peter should’ve realized that he had a crush on the boy beside him. Though Peter always knew he hadn’t had a preference, the feeling of friendship and romance was always a little hard to distinguish for the same sex. Then again, there had to come a time for someone to point out that he most certainly did not stare at Ned the same way he ogled Harry. But a day before he was set to go on vacation with the very pretty boy, Peter was completely oblivious to his own attraction to him.

 

Harry leaned back in his chair, chewing on the end of his eraserless pencil. He stole a quick look at Peter who turned his attention to the book he was on. Harry looked back down at the papers in his hands.

 

“Grammar checks out. Very concise with your content which is good for the exam. Did you get the Princeton Review yet?” Harry asked, pointing at Peter with his pencil.

 

“I’ll ask Mr. Stark. It’s covered in my internship allowance,” Peter said, still averting his gaze. He tried to distract himself with his history book. It was opened on a very unimpressive couple of pages comprised solely of a paragraph of text.

 

“Anyway, I would’ve mentioned the fact that Grant was a mutant which is why he was so good with strategy, but it’s fine.” Harry handed the paper back to Peter who slipped it into his book. “It’s pretty late. Are you sure you don’t want to just go ahead and stay the night or anything?”

 

Peter had ducked under the desk to put his books up. Once Harry had asked him the question, he hit his head on the underside of the table. He came back up more carefully the second time and shrugged. While it would’ve been nice, Peter felt he should try to spend time with May before he had to leave.

 

“I’m sure,” Peter replied. “But we can talk a little bit before I leave,” he offered.

 

“Cool. Cool.” Harry nodded and bit his lip. He played with his pencil a bit, staring down at the desk. His eyes met Peter’s for a lingering minute. “What do you think of that Spider-Man guy?”

 

Brow furrowed, Peter gave a slight cough. “Um... ‘Spider-Man’? He’s a cool guy. I see him around Mr. Stark sometimes. He’s like... in with Iron Man so...”

 

“So you know him? Personally?” Harry asked a little too excitedly, getting closer to Peter.

 

“Yeah,” Peter mumbled, attempting to keep to himself.

 

Harry edged slightly closer. Their elbows touched. “Who is he? I’ve just been curious for a while.”

 

Peter put his hand on his elbow as afraid of being touched. “Well, he likes to keep his identity a secret from people who aren’t associated with the Avengers,” Peter explained nervously.

 

“Aw, come on... I think I deserve to be an exception.” Harry pouted.

 

“Why do you want to know?”

 

Harry backed off a little, looking away as he formulated a response. He smirked at Peter. “Would you believe me if I said I went toe-to-toe with him?”

 

Of course he would. He was there. But he couldn’t tell him that. He had to act quick.

 

Peter gasped, wide-eyed. “No fucking way!” Nailed it. Totally not over-exaggerated at all.

 

“Yes fucking way! We were duking it out and I punched the shit out of him! It was so cool!” Harry’s eyes shone as he recounted their small scuffle. At least he enjoyed it.

 

“Who won?” Peter felt obligated to ask. He knew he had let Harry get away, but he wanted Harry’s unadulterated side.

 

Harry threw his head back and laughed. “You really think I’m gonna beat someone in a Stark suit?” he asked. Peter smiled, glad that Harry remembered that conversation.

 

“You could if you wanted to. You’ve got an Osborn suit,” Peter reminded him with a light punch to the shoulder.

 

“I’m still making improvements, but thanks,” Harry laughed shyly, looking down at his pencil. “That battle was so wild. It was only like, a minute. He kicked my ass so I couldn’t shut Kraven down that night. Not sure if he was hired to protect him or not.”

 

“Probably just went to investigate and thought you were attacking him,” Peter suggested his actual thinking. Harry nodded, considering it.

 

“Well, he needs to mind his own business and stay out of mine.” Harry rolled his half-lidded eyes.

 

They were silent for a beat.

 

“Do you think Spider-Man might be hot under the mask?” Peter quickly asked, testing the waters.

 

Harry clumsily flicked his pencil out of his grasp. His face grew red as his eyes darted left to right. He locked a calculating look onto Peter as he considered the possibility. Then, deeper into thought, he leaned back and stared at the wall in front of him.

 

“Uh...” Harry covered his mouth and cheeks, trying to hide his blush. “Maybe.” He bit down on his knuckles, despairing over these new possible feelings.

 

“He seems like a nice enough guy,” Peter commented.

 

“No, he’s a dorky thot is what he is.” Harry massaged his side, probably reminiscing about the touch they shared. Or maybe it was just still sore.

 

Peter furrowed his brow. He gave a hoarse laugh, burying his head in his hands. “How?” he exclaimed.

 

Harry snapped his fingers with a wink. “He breathes.”

 

And that was it. That was the moment Peter realized it. When just the mere act of the raven-haired boy winking made his heart jump from his chest, Peter realized it.

 

Peter had the biggest, dumbest, just the most head over heels crush on Harry.

 

And he had no idea what he was going to do about it. Especially because of the next thing Harry said.

 

“But no seriously, I like someone else right now.”

 

Peter’s heart dropped from its place among the clouds straight into the abyss.

 

“So anyway, what’s your favorite color?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler alert: it’s red.


	10. Originally This Was Three Separate Chapters and Now it’s a Mega Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as the chapter title says

The second to last Saturday in December meant the last academic meeting of the year. Since a couple years ago, that meant Xavier’s was hosting. Harry had been looking forward to the meet since he started academics at Midtown. Peter was glad to finally know why, but was slightly afraid that Harry would ditch him to hang out with his friends at Xavier’s.

 

Xavier’s School For Gifted Children was quite notably a mutant-only private school. Only in Peter’s freshman year were they finally able to participate in academic meets. Now, they could host. The meetings usually garnered attention from most of the students boarding there. Staff took extra precaution to keep students with mind and reality-bending powers from tampering with the game. Cheating hadn’t happened at a meet yet, and hopefully it would stay that way.

 

As the teams faced off in the madness of the morning, it seemed that Midtown was up against Xavier’s for the final match. Midtown was bringing Peter, Ned, Harry, and MJ to the quick recall table. Xavier’s brought on Otto, Kurt, Bench, and a freshman kid named Max.

 

Kurt and Harry seemed to talk just fine when they met up. Nothing seemed awkward between them at all. In fact, they just chatted like normal friends with no sense of tension between them, romantic or otherwise. Otto even joined in on their conversations. Peter didn’t feel left out seeing as he had Ned and MJ, and was actually grateful to get those rare moments with his other friends that Harry seemed to also be enjoying right now with the guys from Xavier’s.

 

Per the usual, Ned was geeking out about how big of geeks the professors were. They always had some kind of merchandise in their rooms somewhere. And, also per the usual, MJ was having an overdramatic gay panic over the girls on the other team. Hopefully their desire to show off their smarts would override their desire to geek out over fandoms and girls.

 

When the coaches and staff were finished preparing for the match, Harry broke off from his circle of friends. He almost got to his desk before Otto pulled him back. Something was whispered into his ear—something like a question for confirmation. Harry nodded.

 

He sat beside Peter, clutching his buzzer nervously. He tried to speak, but didn’t seem to know what to say. Finally, he asked, “Hey, Peter, you don’t mind if I stay here to hang out with Otto before we leave for Stark’s tonight, do you?”

 

Peter gaped, slightly offended for being blown off. Then again, he was still trying to make it up to Ned for not inviting him, so he supposed he could get some time in there. “Yeah, yeah, no, yeah, it’s cool. It’s cool,” Peter stammered breathily.

 

“I’ll make it up to you. Felicia didn’t want me to tell you yet, but I’ve been working on something for you since our last mission.” Harry smiled, his eyes shining brightly at Peter’s happy grin.

 

Otto caught wind of the conversation and winked at Peter and Harry(or maybe just Harry. Probably just Harry). The brunette hyper-focused on his buzzer, heart beating faster than he could take in air. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

 

Being so deep in puzzled panic, as soon as the first question came up, Peter smacked his hand down on the red button. Eyes wide, he stared hard at Professor Logan who was managing the reading of the questions.

 

“The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell!” Peter blurted out, trying to get some kind of something in before time was called.

 

Logan gave a quick side-eye to Professor Summers. “We can accept that, right?”

 

“Yeah,” Summers confirmed.

 

“Ten points to Midtown,” Logan announced.

 

Under the table, Harry gave Peter a pat on the knee for the good work. Peter bit his lip harder than ever before.

 

 

..-. ..- -.-. -.-

 

 

“Hey,”

 

Peter blinked at Ned and just as quickly looked away with a huff. Sensing his obvious anguish, Ned gave him a pat on the shoulder.

 

“Ned, I just can’t shake the thought of him doing something majorly illegal. I mean, he nearly blew up this dude’s mansion.” Peter crossed his arms and leaned against Ned.

 

“Pete, that dude was like, major evil. Dude, who steals from Wakanda? That’s super crappy,” Ned reasoned.

 

“Yeah. But Ned, what if he just gets out of control? Like, going farther than just blowing up part of a building to get to his target? What if he kills someone?” Peter postulated. He didn’t dare tell Ned that Harry threw a literal bomb at him.

 

“Dude, you’re overreacting. It’s gonna be fine. If you need me, you know you can call me. I’ll be here for you. I’ll come by to check on Mrs. Parker if you need me to,” Ned soothed Peter.

 

Peter gave a breath of relief and laid away from Ned, grasping his pillow to his chest. “Thanks. I really hope Otto doesn’t threaten him to do anything. He would’ve fucked Harry up if I didn’t step in.”

 

“Language, Pete.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

“That Otto guy doesn’t sound like the best best friend, but hey, maybe they have something that you just don’t get,” Ned suggested.

 

“Yeah, like love and affection,” Peter mumbled into his pillow.

 

Ned furrowed his brow. “I love you,” he murmured, a little hurt. “No homo though.”

 

“I know,” Peter groaned, and flipped over to his other side, facing his wall. “Harry is so...” Peter screamed into his pillow, then flipped over onto his back with his pillow away from his mouth. “He’s just everything!”

 

“You haven’t been like this since Liz,” Ned laughed and took off the Spider-Man mask. “You’re like MJ when we all went out to watch that chick flick for her birthday.”

 

“Except Harry is Harry Osborn, and not Kate McKinnon who is MJ’s wife in her fanfiction. And Harry touched my leg.” Peter sighed passionately. Completely spaced out, he bit his cheeks.

 

“You’re reliving it, aren’t you?” Ned guessed with a cheeky smile.

 

Peter tossed his pillow at Ned, his face scrunched up in an reddened expression which hated to admit that the other boy was correct in his thinking. Ned leaned against the bed’s ladder and laughed, and Peter joined him.

 

Just then, Peter’s bedroom door opened. Walking in was the very confident Tony Stark. He clasped his hands together before opening his arms. Peter almost mistook the action for a hug, and realizing it was just Tony’s pose of grandeur, held himself back.

 

“Okay, so you’re all of a sudden not big on hugs? Come on kid, it’s nearly Christmas,” Tony said with a hint of false agitation.

 

Peter’s eyes lit up as he rushed to hug Tony. They embraced like a father and son who hadn’t seen each other in a very long time, complete with the slight rocks to each side. Tony clapped his hands on Peter’s shoulders, a proud grin on his face.

 

“So, are you ready to hang out with some Avengers? I think you’ll also be glad to find a stocking with your name on it,” Tony said. He noticed Ned and pulled Peter to his side, almost as if he was ashamed for showing such familial connection to Peter. “Oh, sorry. Friend, right? You’re the friend? I’m Tony Stark, nice to meet you.” Tony extended a hand to Ned.

 

“Yeah, I’m the friend. Ned Leeds,” Ned introduced himself. “I’m not the friend going with Peter though,” he clarified.

 

“Why not?” Tony raised a brow.

 

Peter tried to formulate a response but found himself uttering random blurbs of choppy replies. Ned ended up doing the same.

 

“Is this other kid a pity case? Pete, what’s going on there?” Tony questioned.

 

“He’s just been really nice to me lately, so I figured I should do something for him,” Peter explained.

 

“Well, are we picking him up, or is he coming here? Happy’s waiting out on the sidewalk,” Tony informed them.

 

“He’ll be here any—“

 

Right then, Harry crashed into the wall beside Peter’s bedroom door. He stumbled into the room, looking noticeably disheveled and bruised around the eyes and neck. “Pete! Buddy, sorry I’m late! We got so caught up in our sparring that I forgot what time it was!”

 

Peter’s entire face and neck became red as he stared wide-eyed with a quiet fury at Harry for coming in so beaten up in front of Tony. Ned just smiled innocently. Tony’s expression darkened.

 

Tony pulled Peter aside into the hallway. He shut the door behind them.

 

“How long have you known this kid?” Tony demanded quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

 

“I- ju- just this year, Mr. Stark. Harry’s a good guy, I promise,” Peter pleaded. “Just let him come with us. He’s like me. He fights bad guys sometimes. He let me help once. He’s a good guy.”

 

“Yeah, Pete, listen... that kid is Norman Osborn’s son. I can tell by the eyes. A mutant, right?” Tony asked.

 

Peter’s heart dropped. “He’s a good mutant!”

 

“I don’t care if he’s a mutant, an inhuman, or whatever else in-between. That’s not what I’m talking about. He’s from Oscorp. I’m from Stark Industries. We’re basically escorting him on an espionage trip. When are you going to be less naive and trusting?” Tony asked rhetorically.

 

“It’s not like he overheard me talk about this and ask to go. I offered,” Peter argued. “I was out on a mission, and I just happened to be on his porch, and I offered.”

 

“Peter, you can’t offer enemies our knowledge. I’ll let it slide this time, but no more. No more Osborns.”

 

“But—“

 

“No more. They’re all trouble.” Tony gave a deep sigh. “Tell him to get his shit together and get downstairs. We’re leaving.” He left Peter in the hallway, saying as he left, “I knew there was a reason you never told me his name.”

 

Peter opened his door, walking back in. Harry immediately caught his eye and smiled at the tired brunette. He was using his comb to get his raven-black hair back in flowing order.

 

“Hope you don’t mind. My stuff’s at the door. I’m still really sorry about being late. Otto would _not_ let me go,” Harry apologized with a chuckle.

 

Peter shrugged. “It’s no problem. Did you guys have a good time?”

 

“Ah, he talks too much. Can’t go over my plans without him running his mouth about something else for fifteen minutes,” Harry said, distracted by his attempt to fix his hair in the mirror.

 

“I thought you two were like, fighting or whatever,” Peter said.

 

Harry paused, his smile dropping for a second. He gave a light chuckle before continuing his combing motions. “Yeah. We were.”

 

 

..-. ..- -.-. -.-

 

 

Peter crossed his legs with his hands clasped on his knees. He was in the awkward position of being between a Stark and an Osborn in the backseat of an armored car. The heated glances that the two gave each other every so often was starting to get awkward. Peter wondered if Howard and Norman were the same way.

 

“So, do you guys want to play a road game?” Peter offered, tired of the awkward silence.

 

“Sure,” Harry agreed.

 

“No,” Tony responded at the same time.

 

“I’m thinking of an animal,” Peter began. “You’ve got twenty questions.”

 

“Is it a mammal?” Harry asked.

 

“No,” Peter replied. He was thinking of a spider. Hopefully it wouldn’t out him.

 

“Reptile?”

 

“No.”

 

“Is it an amphibian?”

 

“No— I mean, yes,” Peter backtracked, fearful of being found out through a game of twenty questions.

 

“Is it a newt?” Tony asked, annoyed with the game.

 

“Yes,” Peter answered falsely, wanting his hands to stop shaking with fear of being found out. The longer it went on, the more stressed out he was making himself.

 

“Can I think of an animal?” Harry asked.

 

“Of course,” Peter replied.

 

“Ok. It’s a bird,” Harry stated.

 

“I was going to ask that. I have to ask questions, Harry. You can’t give me the answers unless I ask,” Peter chuckled.

 

“Well, I’m just gonna give you a hint. It’s the mascot of our country,” Harry said.

 

“Bald eagle,” Peter answered.

 

Harry ruffled Peter’s hair. “You’re too smart for your own good. No wonder we won the match today. That got me two shiners.”

 

Peter’s mouth dropped open in horror. His instincts told him to touch Harry on the cheeks at least, but since Tony was right next to him, that wasn’t the best idea. Harry smirked, sensing Peter’s predicament. He rubbed his shoulder.

 

“Don’t worry, buddy, Otto wasn’t too rough. I managed to get the drop on him. As in, I pelted him with every single one of his trophies. He’s got about fifty so you can imagine the pain I’m in,” Harry laughed quietly, rubbing his neck.

 

“Just go easy on yourself, Harry,” Peter begged softly.

 

“I will. But I would’ve loved if you could’ve been there. It was so cool when you stuck to that wall and startled the guys,” Harry mused.

 

Tony raised a brow. “You did what?”

 

“You didn’t know Pete was a mutant, Sir? I’m sorry, Pete, I assumed he knew. I thought you’d like, put that on your internship forms and stuff,” Harry mumbled.

 

“No, I knew. I just didn’t know other people were aware. I thought it was like a mutant thing not to out each other,” Tony lied smoothly, glaring at Peter who shrunk under the gaze.

 

Harry smiled and put a hand around Peter’s shoulders. “I’m so glad you’re accepting of us, Mr. Stark.”

 

“Let’s keep our hands to ourselves, huh, Osborn?” Tony gruffly warned.

 

With the speed of a cheetah, Harry put his hands in his own lap and looked out of the window. Peter snickered. What a dork.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry stared restlessly at a quieted Peter. When he was sure Tony had passed out from a long day, Harry restarted conversation. Peter was barely stirred from resting against Tony.

 

“Pete, if you had a secret... you’d tell me, right?” Harry asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

 

“Yeah...” Peter murmured, half-asleep. “I swear I would, Har’.”

 

Harry sighed deeply and returned to watching the road pass by out of the window. He got out his phone without hiding it in his figure. He put earbuds in and began texting someone. Peter watched under the guise of being asleep.

 

 _“So did he answer or nah”_ asked someone, probably Otto because the name on Harry’s phone was “The Living Brain”.

 

 **“didnt ask”** Harry responded.

 

_“Gonna have to pop the q sooner or later if you him to be w you even tho i don’t think it’s a good idea either way fam”_

 

**“ugh”**

 

_“Ugh is right”_

 

**“ugh @ u”**

 

_“Fuck you mate”_

 

Harry smirked and chuckled softly. Peter closed his eyes hurriedly, worried that Harry would notice that he wasn’t fully asleep.

 

**“in ur dreams”**

 

_“You know it babe ;*”_

 

**“anyway ill ask him when we get to the party or w/e”**

 

_“Don’t forget our arrangement”_

 

**“i wont bby ;)”**

 

_“Good thought you were going full softie for this dude”_

 

_“Knowing you he’s probably in for it”_

 

**“nah not rly”**

 

_“I’m gonna beat your ass if you don’t pop the q next time I see you”_

 

**“bet”**

 

Peter tried, just slightly disgruntled, to close his eyes for good. He couldn’t help but ponder over the content of the question. Could it be romantic? Or something more sinister? Peter chose to dwell on it later. For now, he was just going to try his best to have a good time with his crush.

 

Peter dozed off to the sound of Harry humming “Hey There Delilah” and with the arm of a very unconscious Tony Stark around him. Forecast for the weekend wasn’t looking half-bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spider-Man  
> Spider-Man  
> Does whatever a spider can  
> He will snoop  
> On your phone  
> Don’t leave it out  
> Unless you’re alone  
> Look out  
> Here comes the Spider-Man 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> what do you mean those aren’t the lyrics


	11. This Is The Part Where Someone Confesses Their Love But Don't Worry It's Not The End Just Yet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> question for yall
> 
> kiss marry kill—peter, felicia, harry
> 
> hard choice tbh.

Peter sighed happily, opening his doe-brown eyes to his reflection in the stand-up mirror. He was straightening his red bow tie. Done with that, he made sure his white tux was smoothed down with no wrinkles. Though, his own appearance wasn't what made him smile. In the background, Harry was standing across from him at their room's dresser, gelling his hair. He was wearing a black tux, green tie, and a purple rose corsage. It was safe to say that he favored a certain palette. Peter knew as soon as he saw him, simply just there in the background of the mirror; that when he got those butterflies flocking within him, Peter was head over heels.

When the two were ready, they departed from their room and toward the dance hall. The grand room was dark with few wall lights glowing golden. The bar, with its shape reminiscent of an opera house's architecture, was lit like a Christmas tree. In the corners, there were actual Christmas trees with lights and bulbs strewn about them. Couches and seating were mainly in the middle of the room with a small stage-like rising flooring meeting the large floor-to-roof windows. Already, the party was started with some updated Christmas songs with some pop songs hidden within the playlist.

Tony found Peter in the crowd easily. It was on his recommendation that Peter wear white in the first place. Most others wore black tuxes or even Christmas sweaters. Harry disappeared somewhere into the crowd.

"Pete, I've got some people I'd like to introduce you to," Tony grinned, bringing Peter around the seating area.

Surrounded by some not really notable people, Vision and Wanda Maximoff sat at the edge of one of the couches, pretending to listen to the conversations. Tony waved to them and they waved back.

"Peter, this is Vision and Wanda Maximoff, but she goes under the name Scarlet Witch as well. They're a thing," Tony explained. "Guys, this is Peter Parker."

"Hello," Peter greeted them. They waved enthusiastically at him.

"Are you the spider child that Tony brags about?" Wanda asked.

"'Brags'? I don't brag. I just approve of his actions every so often," Tony corrected.

"Oh, Peter, he talks about you all the time, sweetheart. He's so proud of you. As are all of us. Being a hero at your age is no easy feat," Wanda lauded the boy with praise. She smiles cheekily at Vision, asking, "Vis, can you run a diagnostic of how much Tony talks about the spider child?"

"Tony Stark runs an average of fifty-three minutes per every two days of speaking positively about Peter Benjamin Parker. About ten minutes per close friend, five for those considered acquaintances, and three for strangers," Vision recalled. He winked at Tony with a smirk. Peter blushed furiously but grinned from ear to ear.

"Okay, but how do I know you're not just making up those numbers?" Tony squinted.

"I'm not," Vision answered simply.

"Tony, just accept it," Wanda laughed.

"Alright, well, I'm gonna go show the kid off to someone who's not going to air my dirty laundry," Tony informed them.

The happy couple waved away the two guys. When Peter turned around, he noticed that they seemed to be communicating solely through eye and body language. They seemed bored, but relieved to be in each other's company. Maybe they were speaking telepathically and making fun of how uptight some of these people were. Peter figured he would do that with Harry if he could.

A few military guys crowded around the bar, but weren't sitting except for one guy. Tony tapped that guy on the shoulder and then gestured to Peter who stood awkwardly.

"Oh, hey, you! The spider kid!" The man extended his hand which Peter shook. "Tony won't stop running his mouth about you, but I don't even know your name, kid. I'm James Rhodes. The guys just call me Rhodey."

Peter nodded. "My name's Peter Parker."

"You two fought together against Cap, if you remember," Tony reminded them.

"Yeah, I'm not gonna forget a costume like that. The webs were really cool. Spider on the chest was a nice touch," Rhodey complimented Peter with a fist bump to the shoulder. "Nice work on that design."

"Thank you Sir." Peter blushed. He finally put the pieces together that this was War Machine. "I like how your suit is grey," he managed to say and cursed himself in his head for.

"Thanks, kid," Rhodey laughed. He turned his attention to Tony. "Drinks tonight?" he asked expectantly.

"I will before karaoke," Tony promised.

Rhodey tilted his head from side to side. "Well, it's before karaoke right now. Come on, Tone, party with some generals. It's Christmas and Christmas only comes once a year."

Tony crossed his arms and leaned on the bar, considering. He smirked. "Yeah, I'll go for a couple drinks." He snapped his finger in Peter's direction, pointing away from the bar.

Getting the sign language, Peter walked away from the bar. Though, without Tony or anyone else to guide him around, he felt like a small fish in a big pond with gigantic fishes. He desperately searched for Harry.

Of course he would find Harry eventually by his eyes. And of course, Harry would find himself a circle of people to hang around which found Peter back at Wanda and Vision's area. Peter took a seat across from the couple and next to Harry.

"Hey, Pete," Harry greeted him with a warm smile. He grabbed his shoulder and pointed toward the windows at a man dressed in sweater over a tux. "Do you see that guy over there?"

"Yeah," Peter confirmed.

"That's King T'Challa from Wakanda. He's the real deal. You know who he is?" Harry asked.

"Sure, yeah," Peter said. He searched his memory for his secret identity.

"We're gonna go over there and introduce ourselves. We know N'Yama. We're in with the War Dogs. We can try to get some tech secrets."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to trouble him, Har'," Peter sighed.

Harry rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. "Why not? N'Yama talks to his little sister all the time and I need some new ideas for your new suit. Peter, I really do need to discuss something with you in private."

"It's been about three days since we've been here. Why not ask on our three days without the crowd?" Peter questioned.

"I have to do something before I ask... anyway, come on, we're talking to him," Harry decided.

The two walked up to the lone man in the Christmas tree sweater. It could vaguely be considered an ugly Christmas sweater. Peter bit his lip when he realized that T'Challa was the Black Panther which was more likely why he was at the party than being the King of Wakanda. He wondered if Harry knew.

Harry did the same hugging salute that he usually did with N'Yama. He punched Peter in the arm, signifying that he needed to do it as well. When Peter tried to copy his motions to a failed extent, T'Challa laughed, but still returned the gesture to the two.

"King T'Challa, I'm a close friend of a family you might know. I've been helping them to recover stolen vibranium as has my friend here. Could I trouble you for some information on a man named Kraven?" Harry asked.

T'Challa nodded gratefully. "We are more occupied with another smuggler right now. Thank you for picking up on this man. He has been on our radar for some time now. I did not know he was so big a threat as to be currently stealing vibranium."

"Kraven is currently being handled by myself and N'Yama, daughter of N'Dlozi, a War Dog. N'Dlozi is fighting for her life while N'Yama has taken up her title of Black Cat," Harry explained the situation. "I understand that N'Dlozi was once a friend?"

"Yes, though she was much older. Her service to our kingdom is greatly appreciated. I will have to come visit her before the year is over. Thank you for telling me. Do you not think it is rude, though, that you have not introduced yourself?" T'Challa laughed when he saw Harry's expression of fear, thinking he might have upset the king. "Do not worry about it, but do not sell yourself so short. You are as important as your message."

"Harry Lyman," the raven-haired boy introduced himself with a fake name(likely to avoid association with Oscorp), shaking T'Challa's hand. "My associate here is Peter Parker."

"Thank you for telling me about N'Dlozi and for your fight against Kraven. My country thanks you as well." T'Challa turned his back to them with a smile.

Peter and Harry walked back into the crowded area.

"I thought you were going to ask for tech secrets? You froze," Peter teased with a smirk.

A frightened and very red expression plastered on Harry's face explained the reason he didn't better than any words could. "I got cold feet. That's all. Wouldn't call it freezing, per se."

"I wouldn't ask him for anything. If he poured soup in my lap, I'd probably thank him," Peter admitted.

"If he asked me to, I would kiss the ground he walked on. N'Yama didn't tell me he was that intimidating—or that good looking, for that matter," Harry complained.

"He is," Peter agreed quietly.

Harry's mouth formed an "o" as an idea popped into his head. "Hey dude, do you want to play 'Fuck, Marry, Kill' superhero edition?" he offered as they took seats at the bar. When the bartender approached, Harry waved him away, though his eyes were fixed on Peter.

"Sure." Peter smiled.

"Boys, girls, or both?"

Peter felt his chest lock up. For once he wasn't completely oblivious. Harry was definitely testing the waters, ready to wade as soon as he got his answer.

"Both," Peter answered. Harry was unable to hide his smirk.

"Black Panther, Iron Man, Black Widow," he went first.

"Kill Iron Man because it would just be weird otherwise, fuck Black Widow, and marry Black Panther. That's too easy, Har'." Peter felt pumped up, having cursed so openly and with Tony just around the corner.

Harry nodded in agreement. "I mean hey, I'm with you there. Alright, give me a list. Boys only."

"Captain America, Vision, Ant-Man."

"That is way too fucking hard, Peter!" Harry stared up at the ceiling, biting his lip. He sighed down at the bar. "God. Fucking. Damn. Uh, kill Ant-Man even though that could be the coolest sex ever. Size changing? Yes, please. Fuck Captain America because he is a bear now. Marry Vision."

Peter raised a brow. He would've killed Vision in that scenario.

"Well, he's a robot. Who knows how to have sex better than robots?" Harry reasoned.

The bartender approached again with drinks this time. "Virgin piña coladas?"

Harry smiled as if he had just won the lottery. He accepted the wine glasses full of not-wine, passing one to Peter. The bartender took his leave from the ensuing lewd conversation.

"Okay. Okay," Harry bounced with excitement, barely able to contain himself. "Scarlet Witch, Falcon, Hawkeye."

"Kill Falcon, fuck Hawkeye, marry Scarlet Witch. She's so nice," Peter giggled. "How about Hulk, Thor, and let's get villainous—Loki."

Harry gaped while smiling. He tongued his straw, deep in thought. He snorted, grinning widely. "Damn you, Peter Parker. Your choices confound me. Can I fuck them all?" he asked softly.

"Harry! You have to choose! My choices were hard too!" Peter protested playfully.

"No fucking way. I'm gonna get you so hard now that we're letting villains in!" Harry warned. Peter blushed furiously at his poor word choice.

"Well, if you say so—"

"No, Pete!" Harry laughed loudly. "Fuck it. Fuck it. Fuck Hulk, kill Thor because he ain't nothing special besides having a sparkly beach bod, and marry Loki. We are under the assumption that marriage means sex forever, right?"

"Yes! Yes." Peter couldn't see through his tears. His cheeks stung from laughing and smiling so much.

"Can we just take time to imagine sex with that guy? He's like a shapeshifter and stuff, isn't he? Like, that's what they reported on the news? Imagine all the kinds of sex you could have with a guy like that. It'd be so fucking freaky and so fucking great."

"Oh my god, yes!" Peter facepalmed. He couldn't believe he was actually having this conversation with a guy he liked.

"Okay. Okay. Now for the hardest round of FMK you've ever played. Ultron, Justin Hammer, War Machine. Who to fuck... who to fuck... me personally? Not into it. Maybe Ultron. Maybe," Harry murmured, sipping his piña colada.

"Oh my god, Harry..." Peter groaned in frustration. "I used to have a crush on that Hammer guy. I always stanned Mr. Stark, but when he got famous I actually stopped stanning Mr. Stark. Crazy, right? So you know I have to marry him. I would say kill Ultron and eff War Machine. He's sitting like a few seats down from us."

Harry's mouth made and "o" of understanding. "True. True. You don't think he'll report you to Stark, do you? Ready to be grounded for language?" Harry teased. Peter just shook his head.

Soon, an announcement for karaoke was made by a noticeably buzzed Tony. There were a few who took up the offer. Most couldn't sing because they were drunk, others were alright. It was mostly just singing in tune that got people. Harry made fun of the bad ones with Peter trying to make excuses for them.

Finally, fed up with the bad singing, Harry decided that he would show everyone up. Peter couldn't help but be scared that Harry would be just as bad and end up embarrassing himself. Then again, Harry's confidence was enough to get him through anything.

Once he was on the semi-stage next to the microphone, Harry seemed to exude pure, unadulterated confidence. He looked just like a professional. Peter felt his heart thump, excited for the performance.

Before the song started, Harry informed the crowd, "This one is for a boy that I've liked for a long time now. He makes me feel like I've known him all my life." _Peter's heart swelled with adoration. Harry really had a crush on him this whole time?_ "We've had some fights, but I think we'll be just fine." _Peter's heart dropped. He never fought with Harry except as Spider-Man. He wasn't talking about him._ "I've always wanted someone to sing this for me, and now I've just decided to take the reins. It's perfect because he lives in NYC... so... Hope you guys like it." _He was talking about Otto Octavius._

A happy strumming of a guitar started the song. "Hey there Delilah, what's it like in New York City?" he sung the opening to a classic romance song.

Peter sniffed. He rubbed his nose quickly. He purses his lips inward and looked away, trying to avoid the occasional look Harry slipped toward him. He couldn't believe he let himself think Harry would ever like him. He wasn't a mutant. He didn't go to Xavier's. He didn't know Harry like they did. What would he ever even see in him?

The worst part was that Harry was so good at singing. Peter believed in every word that he sung. His emotion strained his voice in some parts—especially "Oh, it's what you do to me," which Peter tried to pretend applied to him for the first couple of those. The truth that it was about Otto slowly sunk in.

When the end of the song approached, Harry actually seemed to be brought to tears. It was then that he really looked at Peter, gazed longingly at him. Peter was miserable. Why was he doing this to him?

"And you're to blame," Harry sung, staring directly into Peter's doe-brown eyes. Peter felt his whole world crumble.

With a final crooning, Harry finished the song to the applause of the whole room. Even Tony, coming up on stage to escort him away, clapped for his stellar performance. Done with the whole singing scene, Harry rushed back to Peter who was had managed to pick himself back up and put on a mask of happiness.

"Hey, what'd you think?" Harry asked, out of breath. He bit his lip in anticipation.

Peter was silent for a beat. He tuned in slightly to Wanda and Vision's "It Takes Two" with a tinge of jealousy.

"Didn't you hear the applause you got?" Peter snapped.

"Yeah, but I don't care about that. Pete, I... I gotta ask you something." Harry sighed heavily.

Peter nearly predicted the question, ready to tell him that yes, he did think he and Otto would make a good couple. He bit his lip though, and waited.

"Are you... are you Spider-Man?" Harry asked somewhat fearfully. "I... I'm so sorry—if you are, I mean. I could've killed you—I mean him. Or you. I don't— I don't know. That's... that's the point of me asking. I just wanted to apologize. I didn't know if I'd ever see him again, but if he's you... then sorry." 

Miffed that the question wasn't what he secretly hoped it was, Peter hopped down from the barstool and knocked over his drink. With a new attitude, he offered to clean it up, but was shooed away by an exasperated bartender which only served to fluster Peter more. He wiped his tears from his eyes as he trudged away no matter how many times Harry called him back.

Before he could leave the ballroom, Harry  grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. "Peter!" he chided with a soreness to his voice. "I'm sorry that I figured it out. Otto pointed out the similarities but I'm gonna tell him different. I'm not going to out you."

"Harry, I don't fucking care. I don't care about being Spider-Man and I don't give a shit about Otto, I'm really sorry." Peter's chest heaved up and down as he struggled to breathe from his panic.

Harry slightly licked his lips, his expression serious. "Then what do you care about, Peter?" he asked with a tilt of his head. He wasn't letting him go without an answer as evidenced by his arms being crossed and his left foot being purposefully placed between Peter's.

"You! I care about you and if you like me. I like you a lot, Harry. You always treat me like you've known me forever and I love that. You're so pretty and I just feel like I'm just your friendly neighborhood dude around pretty much everybody else but you. You make me feel like the world. I want to spend forever with you." Peter gave a hoarse laugh and wiped his face down with his palm. He shook his head and shrugged. "Mr. Stark would probably tell me I'm just a kid and I don't know what I want right about now. But I think I do."

Harry smiled thinly before grabbing Peter's cheeks and thrusting their lips into a lock. Peter wrapped his arms up around Harry's neck. They parted. Doe-brown met bright cerulean.

"That was for you—that song. It was for you. I've had a crush on you since I first met you," Harry explained breathlessly.

"What about Kurt? Otto? Felicia?" Peter questioned.

"I'm not into girls, Otto isn't gay, and Kurt's just a booty call," Harry joked. "But not anymore. You're the only booty call I need in my life."

He wasn't very romantic, but Peter took what he could get. They locked lips again and split a little later than before. Peter pushed him away shyly.

"Let's enjoy the party now and do that later," he said.

At that moment, Tony went by, saying as he went, "I'm splitting your rooms and you're grounded for language."

Harry laughed obnoxiously while Peter buried his head in the crook of Harry's neck. They split and joined the rest of the crowd in order to dance to T'Challa's cover of "Smooth Criminal". 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if your bae can moonwalk  
> they a keeper


	12. We're Coming Up On The Climax of the Story But Here's Some Fluff!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> robots and dirty thoughts.

Briskly walking past the main hall's waterfall, Peter and Harry carried their personal suitcases out. Tony wasn't letting  any underage persons stay for the New Years Eve party, so he was sending them home just a couple days before then. With a new relationship gained on the upside, and a secret spilled as the only downside, Peter ranked the getaway to the Avengers HQ as a success.

"I can't wait to get back home. I've learned so much." Harry sighed wistfully. "I can't believe Tony Stark actually let me build an Iron Man suit. He guided my hand and everything."

"Who knew you were such a Tony Stark fanboy?" Peter snarked.

Harry sputtered in response, completely flustered. "N-no! I do not stan him! I just think he's a hell of a dilf, that's all."

Peter put his left hand in front of Harry's mouth, startling him. "You can't say that!" He snickered when Harry gently pushed his hand away. "That's so bad, oh my god!"

"At some point, you have to realize that I have two settings. Robots and dirty thoughts," Harry revealed with pride.

There was a small bit of silence. Happy silence, but silence nonetheless.

The two approached the entrance of the building which would now be their exit. Tony awaited them there. He squinted at Harry's suitcase and gestured for him to give it up.

"Come on kid, I'm not dense. This isn't a hotel you can steal the towels and soap from," Tony said. He checked the suitcase on a stand table. There were indeed Tony's towels and fancy hand soaps inside. Tony closed it and handed it back to Harry, deciding to let him keep it. "Peter did the same thing the first time. And the second time. And the third." Peter bit his cheeks and looked to the side. Tony sighed and pinched his brow. "And... he's smuggling the stuff out right now."

Now accompanied by Tony, Peter and Harry journeyed to the Rolls Royce which would escort them back to the bustling scene of Queens. The three got into the car, and with that, they were off. 

..-. ..- -.-. -.-

That night, Peter was dropped off at his apartment. Harry was driven on to Oscorp on a cruise where Peter assumed Tony was giving him "the dating talk". Thankfully, Peter didn't have to stop talking to Harry just because they were now apart. Harry promised to call as soon as he got home.

Peter paced around his room, anxious. He hadn't felt this impatient since waiting on Tony's call so long ago. Patience was a virtue that Peter just didn't have no matter how many times that Captain America PSA was drilled into his head. Of course he could find things to occupy his time like eating ramen and playing online Overwatch matches, but he still couldn't shake that feeling of waiting.

In fact, he was starting to get worried. He failed an escort mission with Widowmaker from all the scary thoughts circling in his head. What if they were intercepted? What if something happened at Oscorp? What if— oh, he was getting a call.

"Hello?" Peter picked up immediately, not paging any attention to the caller ID.

"Peter!" came Harry's panicked voice.

"Harry! What's going on?" Peter combed a hand through his hair, stressing out over Harry stressing out.

"Your gift—it's... it's gone! Peter, someone stole your suit," Harry explained. 

"You were making another suit for me?" Peter asked as he began walking up his wall absentmindedly.

"Yeah before I knew you were Spider-Man. Thanks for not telling me you already had one. Especially a Stark suit. Anyway, it was nanotechnology, red, and spider-themed, but it didn't look mugh like yours."

"Harry, I'm sure it was fine," Peter assured him. Even if it wasn't as high-tech, he would still wear it, probably more than Stark’s.

"Well, someone broke in and stole it."

"How do you know you didn't just slip in and steal it?" Peter started pacing on his ceiling.

"Because I'm standing right here looking at my window—and it's broken," Harry deadpanned.

"Do you have any security cameras?"

"I don't like being watched, so no. But whoever stole it is probably going to be using it, so just keep a lookout on your patrols. I've still got Kraven stuff to deal with, and he might be a part of it." Harry audibly sighed. "I'll see what I can do there."

"Harry, please let me help you," Peter begged. "You're gonna get hurt on your own."

"I'll be fine. Focus on your villains. You don't need to worry about mine," Harry said firmly. "I promise I'll update you."

"Okay." Peter paused. He pursed his lips inward. "Love you," he finally said after mustering up the courage.

There was stunned silence on the other end.

"Love you too," Harry replied. He hung up.

Peter hopped down from his ceiling, creating a loud thump. He cringed at the sound.

"Peter were you on the ceiling again?" May yelled from below.

"Sorry, May!" Peter apologized quickly.

He tossed his phone down on the bed. A little slouched from the disappointment of not getting to go with Harry, he started to pick up his room. He grabbed the empty ramen bowls and turned his television off. Ned and MJ would have to wait another night for their sniper. He needed sleep.

Then, he got a buzz from his phone. Peter checked his messages.

_"meet me @ the lobby of oscorp"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> he mains widowmaker, ned mains reinhardt, and mj mains zenyatta dva and tracer depending on who her team is :)
> 
> (Me personally, I main tracer when I actually get to play lol)
> 
> ((does that say something about me))
> 
> (((probably XD)))


	13. Name Currently Pending. Also Shit Goes Down For Real So Stay Tuned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot about a scene at the end of the chapter when I was doing the archive warnings. There is some major violence. Not described too graphically?? but it’s there. There was kind of some in the Kraven fights but idk they didn’t seem as bad as
> 
> well. You’ll see.

As it turned out, the walls of Oscorp changed their white lights to a sort of charcoal color by night. Walking into the building was like walking into an exclusive and very barren club. Peter expected some kind of security personnel or late night worker, but not a soul could be found.

That is, except a Felicia, who was sitting on the edge of a large aloe planter. She was cross-legged, typing on her phone while listening to an old song Peter didn't recognize. He was grateful to see a familiar face in such an empty space. Although, he couldn't help but feel offended that Harry likely trusted her more than him to help him handle a situation. He was his boyfriend after all—not to mention, Spider-Man. They were all three friends, nonetheless.

"Felicia! What's up?" Peter called out as he traveled in from the entrance.

She grasped her chest, making a loud exclamation. She stared daggers into Peter though she still smiled. "Why do you always scare me?"

"Sorry, dude. I just figured you saw me coming." Peter shrugged and took a seat beside her.

Felicia flipped her hair. "No. I was texting Harry. Did he ask you to come too?"

"Yeah."

The only sound besides the hum of the lights was the steadily descending elevator. The doors slid back to reveal Harry who was standing with his hands in his pockets.

"What's up fuckers?" he called out obnoxiously to the two waiting in the lobby.

"Why haven't you been answering your phone?" Felicia chastised him, holding up her own cellphone.

"Fuck you, that's why!" Harry shouted back. Realizing he just set Felicia's deadly stare off, he further explain himself, "I just didn't have time. I've been sitting with Doc Connors." Quietly, he mumbled in a high-pitched voice, "We might could let him help us if we need him?"

"Absolutely not," Felicia put her foot down. "You would be inviting needless havoc into a situation that probably isn't that dire."

"The Avengers use the Hulk all the time so why can't we?" Harry groaned. He spun around and began walking a small distance from Felicia who stood her ground.

"Because, Harry, we are not the Avengers. We don't even measure up. We have one goal: take down Kraven. After that, we disband. Unless another Wakandan situation arises, I am hanging up my claws."

"But don't you want to do something else? Better New York City? Maybe even help the Avengers like once or twice?" Harry implored.

"No. I'm not interested in any of that. I'm quite curious actually as to why you want to do it?" Felicia crossed her arms as she impatiently waited for an answer.

It was hard to provide. Harry seemed to start and stop himself a few times. "I just want to be.. a hero, you know," he said finally. "I want to help others and make sure the people of this city can sleep safely at night. I want to fight back against evils like Kraven. You know who I want to be like? Like Iron Man. Ever since I was little, I was forced to look up to my father as a tech genius. I didn't know anything else. Then, we move to this building and I get my hands on an Iron Man suit that I find disassembled in my closet. I'd tinkered with all kinds of stuff like that trying to recreate Iron Man's suit—Osborn style. Now I actually had access to his tech. Now I could make a difference with better technology." Through his speech, Harry found himself tearing up. He wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand.

Felicia sighed, regretting the bluntness of her previous words. "Harry—"

Harry continued, "And I always knew my father was corrupt. He was selling weapons to anybody who would buy no matter their background. Everybody knew that except for me. When I found out, my whole world fell to shit. I want to prove that something good can come out of this company. I need to prove that."

Peter rushed over to Harry and hugged him tightly. He was a bit slow on the uptake, but Harry eventually wrapped his arms around Peter as well before they split.

Peter sighed. "The first time I met Iron Man, I was ten, and he saved my life. But he did it in a way that made me think I was protecting myself. From that moment on I knew that I really wanted to protect not only myself, but others as well. I wanted to be like Iron Man. He was my hero. Spider-Man allowed me to be like him. And I'll forever be grateful that I was able to receive the tech that allowed me to continue on that path," Peter shared. "But eventually, I realized that the tech didn't make me who I was. I'm who I am not because of who I'm trying to be, but because of who I am. You aren't your suits. You're Harry Osborn—a genius with a heart of gold." Peter brought Harry into a kiss. "And a genius that I'm grateful to fight beside."

Harry stepped backward toward the elevator and dabbed to save himself from falling over sideways. Peter facepalmed.

"I gave you that speech and you dabbed it away," Peter anguished.

"But you're right! You're absolutely right," Harry praised his boyfriend, trying to make up for his cringeworthy reaction. He snapped his fingers at the other two. "My dudes, have you ever just sat on the edge of your beds, eating beefaroni and questioning your life choices?"

Peter nodded, but Felicia gave the appropriate response of cringing.

"I don't put things like that in my body, so no," she replied brusquely.

"Well, you never have to worry about that again because we are doing something with our lives. We are going to be a team whether you like it or not." Harry put his hands on his hips heroically. "Name currently pending."

"I do kind of prefer a solo gig every now and again," Peter admitted.

"We all do. Don't you think I've been handling some situations on my own, too? We'll just handle a bigger situation every so often," Harry declared. He looked skyward. "And we'll call ourselves 'The Young Avengers'."

"I thought we were breaking away from considering ourselves like our heroes?" Felicia raised a brow.

"'Uncanny Avengers'?" Harry suggested.

Felicia glared. "You're not getting it."

Harry stared down at the floor. "Guardians of the Galaxy."

"You're reaching, Harold." Felicia glowered.

"We'll work on it. I need to get back to Doc Connors if you'll come with me." Harry gestured toward the elevator as he walked back. 

 

..-. ..- -.-. -.-

 

"So you're Spider-Man?" Felicia asked Peter as they descended a long flight of spiral stairs.

Their path was dark, illuminated only by the flashlights of their phone. The stairs led to a room only Harry, his father, and Dr. Connors were privy to. The room preceding the stairwell contained only a computer desk, a couple houseplants, and a bookshelf behind which was the stairwell itself. Knowing his way around, Harry led the way.

"Yeah," Peter answered nervously. He hadn't meant to let it slip, but felt it was important to his speech. He didn't figure that Felicia would parse his words enough to realize his secret identity.

"Sorry for treating you so harshly, then," she said earnestly.

"It's alright. Even when I'm not Spider-Man, I feel like I get in your guys' way." Head low, Peter put his free hand in his pocket.

"We just haven't been on the same page. That's on us, too. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Peter stopped and put his arm out in front of Felicia, allowing Harry to get a good distance from them without noticing.

"I know Harry really wants to include me. Trust me, I love him for that. But I don't belong on a team. I just figured you should know that." Peter raised his brows, studying Felicia's disappointed expression.

"Sure. I could probably get Harry to come around to that," she noted.

Eventually, the trio arrived at their destination. It was a simple wooden door. Harry cautiously cracked the door. When whatever danger he was afraid of was confirmed not to be present, he motioned for the others to follow him inside.

Inside, the room was just as small as the one they left. This one however had papers scattered all around the floor. Bookshelves here were much more barren as the books laid both open and closed about the area. In terms of furniture, the only difference was a table which had papers, a coffee maker, needles, and small lab equipment set upon it. No one was currently in the room, but a cup of coffee denoted a previous presence.

Harry rushed over to the desk, panic in his eyes. He snatched up a note from the monitor. Fear seemed to fill his every bone. In order to bring amusement to this fear, he placed the note on his forehead.

"What's going on? What's that say?" Felicia squinted, unable to read the note from the doorway.

"Doc Connors went up to the tech lab..." Harry bared his teeth in a cringing grimace. "...with Otto," he finished, exhaling.

"Otto?" Peter shouted. He clapped a hand over his mouth and put his hand on his hip, embarrassed by the outburst. He leaned down and picked up a piece of paper, pretending to read it so as not to draw too much attention to himself.

Harry pursed his lips and nodded. It was obvious that he knew a little more than he was letting on by the way he immediately made his way back out.

"What would he want with Connors?" Felicia pursued the raven-haired boy back up the stairs.

"And how would he get down here?" Peter followed.

"Otto has the mutant ability to shift metal to his will. It's not unlikely that he found a way to hack into the mechanics of our print identifiers. He could've taken it apart and put it back together without anyone batting an eye." Harry rolled his hand.

Felicia shot him a look of stern worry. "You need security guards."

Harry shrugged. "Too expensive. You might not think it, but the Osborn's have always been very low high class. We can barely afford the rent, let alone people to stand around all night waiting for something bad to happen."

"Well, first question still hasn't been answered," Peter reminded him.

"That's true, boo. Personally, I have no idea. I figure if anything, Otto would want me. So, I can't really answer that per se. Connors doesn't work with technology. He's more of a biology guy. Turned himself into a lizard trying to make a panacea. He's like a scaly Hulk." Harry smiled cutely.

"So I've heard." Peter nodded.

"Otto wouldn't hurt him. They know each other. All my friends have met him at some point. He's pretty much like, the only guy that runs around Oscorp besides me and my Dad—"

"My Dad and I," Felicia corrected.

Harry blew a long raspberry. "If you want our team to be known as the Grammar Police that's fine by me. Me personally, I like 'The Champions', but we'll just have to see."

Felicia exchanged unfortunate looks with Peter.

"I'm sure I could check the security cameras later to see what all happened," Harry mentioned as they reached the top of the stairs.

The entrance was blocked again by the bookshelf. Before they entered, they had to push it aside. They hadn't pushed it back.

"Is that kind of sinister to you guys, or is that just me?" Peter ventured.

Harry slid the bookshelf to his right using his telekinesis. He coughed and spluttered afterward, grabbing his neck with both hands and then having to lean on the wall. Peter held his shoulders to try and get him back to standing. They continued into the unchanged room and up to the tech lab with Peter supporting Harry until he could walk on his own.

While the other two flanked him, Harry tiptoed into the dark lab. He turned quickly to Peter.

"I'm guessing you didn't take the spear before you came here?" Harry whispered quickly. Peter didn't like the lack of amusement usually present in his voice.

"No. I didn't want to come in with a visible weapon. I have my web shooters under my jacket." Peter pulled back his jacket sleeve to show him.

Felicia walked over to Peter and touched the wristband. "The spear is N'Yami's tech—she was always about convenience. You can make them pocket-sized. I'll show you sometime. I wonder what Shuri could do with those shooters..." She realized she was holding Peter's wrist far longer than appropriate and put her hands in her hoodie pocket. Peter noticed some cool brass knuckles on her hands before she hid them away.

"Anyway, we need to be careful. We usually keep these lights on," Harry informed the distracted two.

They proceeded with caution. A subtle clinking could be heard in the background. Peter looked to the other two who seemed unfazed by the noise. It worried him, making him look in its direction. His eyes followed the clinking until they reached the spot right above him. He shone his phone's flashlight there, getting a very red glare in return at first. As the bright light gradually disappeared, someone resembling Spider-Man (but not quite) stared back at him.

There was something to be said about facing yourself. When the man landed, Peter felt his whole body freeze as he was practically looking at himself. Though, the suit had rounded and protruding eyes, a spider emblem that stretched around the torso, and black where blue was in his suit. Also, it was maroon and metallic. Other than the more grimly mirrored appearance, nothing seemed too particularly intimidating about it. That is, until it grew four extra appendages from the back and leapt at Peter.

Felicia uppercutted the assailant off of Peter. The thing rolled and then crashed into a table of microscopes. It screamed weakly. Peter quickly stumbled to his feet, helped by Felicia.

Harry looked furious, and not just because of the attack. "Hey, asshole, that's my suit!" he yelled with an intense rage laced in his tone. Peter had never seen him this mad.

Before Harry could take his revenge on the thief, footsteps alerted him to another presence. The four looked to their left as a large man in a fur coat rounded the corner of the tech lab. Kraven, of course, and he was holding his vibranium spear.

"So this is truth. Young Osborn was the Green Goblin?" Kraven smirked with an unnerving exhalation. "Yes, this is all making sense now."

"I told you. And the wimpy kid over there is that spider guy,” the fake Spider-Man said. Peter couldn't place the voice, but Harry's shocked expression made it obvious that he could.

"Otto! What the hell?" Harry snarled. He side-stepped closer to him. "What the fuck is wrong with you? This wasn't free for me and it certainly wasn't made for you. We had an agreement. If Peter declined the suit, I would give it to you. So what the fuck is your problem?" he asked lowly.

Otto grabbed Harry by the shirt collar. "I took what I deserved. You were gone, Kurt got me where I needed to be. I don't know what you don't seem to get, but I am so much better than that doe-eyed dumbass. What's he going to do with this suit that I can't do better? You never let me come on a mission, so I'm going to show you how valuable I am. I am the Superior Spider-Man." Wthough any trouble, he threw Harry into the table behind him.

A menacing stare was given between Kraven and Otto. Finally, Otto caught Kraven off-guard by stealing the spear and redirecting its aim into Kraven's neck, pinning his shaking body to the wall. The spear was embedded deep in the steel.

Felicia turned away and grasped the closest trash can she could find. Bravely, Peter ran toward Otto to try and wrestle him into submission. Harry froze him in place with an unbreaking stare.

"It's done!" Otto announced. "You've both been so worried about this... isn't this how it was going to end eventually? Well, now it's all over. That's what you get when you give the job to the Superior Spider-Man. You never have to worry about him stealing vibranium again. All I had to do was convince him that you all were holding onto some, and he came running. Plus, rare game in the form of a man-lizard? Hunter's paradise."

"You were going to sacrifice Connors for this sick shit?" Harry growled. 

Otto tilted his head. "Oh. You really care about that cripple?"

Harry stood with an angered silence. "Cripple?" he asked solemnly. "Cripple?" he repeated, eyes wide and glaring at Otto.

Newly freed as Harry changed his focus, Peter put a warning hand Harry's shoulder. "Harry, don't kill him. I know you really want to, but let's not do anything serious. Nothing you won't regret later. You two used to be friends." Peter bit hard on his lips, realizing he chose his words wrong. This was proven by Harry shaking him off. "Harry!" Peter yelled as he stumbled backward into Felicia's arms.

Otto, Felicia, and Peter stared at Harry. The fury was very apparent in his shaking fists, labored pace of breathing, and bared teeth. What truly stood out, however, was the cerulean in his eyes overtaking the whole sclera. It seemed as if the whole lab was shaking. Pieces of glass, loose pieces of broken tables, and miscellaneous items rose from their places. Even Peter and Felicia were lifted off their feet.

Harry raised his hand. "I'll show you cripple."

He drew his hand up and to the right, and with one swift motion, spun it around and forward. Everything fell back in its place.

Gasping and sputtering, Otto attempted to walk forward, but could only go back and to the side. He pressed some sensor on the side of his helmet, revealing his beyond astonished expression. His large and fearful eyes trailed up from his abdomen to Harry's judging ones. Otto soon fell to his side.

Harry finally allowed his shoulders to drop below his chin. He furrowed his brow in disbelief of what he had just done. When he fully realized, he dropped to his knees and slid to over Otto. He put his hand on the spear that he had just shoved through Otto's stomach and spine.

"No. No. Nonononono..." Harry stammered, tears forming in his eyes. "No!" his voice cracked. 

Otto pushed Harry's hand away and tried to pull out the spear himself. Neither his strength or mutant ability would allow him to cause himself so much pain. Harry cried and held Ottp in his arms, slowly and subconsciously rocking him as he stuttered bad apologies.

"If I live through this, I want you to know that I will come after everyone and everything you love. When I'm done, you'll wish you were as dead as I feel right now," Otto promised, unable to even look Harry in the eye. He swallowed hard. "Do you understand me?" he slowly growled, his words almost unintelligible from the blood dripping out of his mouth. He closed his eyes with a deep sigh.

Harry breathed in and out quickly, examining the unconscious boy's body. He whipped around to look at Peter and Felicia with a frenzied expression. "What are you just standing there for?"

"Harry..." Felicia attempted to create a calm in the room.

"Get help!" Harry screamed. His face was red as tears streamed down his cheeks. " _Go!"_  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...................
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> bury your straights.


	14. Falling Action

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....................................

In the penthouse living room, Peter and Felicia sat on the couch together while Harry seated himself farther away at the kitchen's bar. Norman Osborn brought a tray of chamomile to the coffee table. He took a seat in the chair next to Felicia, clasping his hands on his lap. His face was long with a hard to read expression.

Felicia thanked Harry's father for the tea, grabbing a cup. Peter, like Harry, felt too disgusted with himself to pick up a cup. He could've stopped Harry from impaling Otto. But at least he wasn't dead like Kraven.

Norman sighed. "The good news is that he was attacked in self-defense. Otto broke into the penthouse, and thus was attacked on property not his own. Furthermore, he killed one person, and could have killed Curtis, or any of you. The killing of Mr. Kraven was not your fault, and since he's a minor, Otto shouldn't be facing life. I'm willing to bet he's still under X-Men protection as well from his enrollment at Xavier's."

"Mr. Osborn, do you think Otto will be alright?" Peter asked. He needed the assurance that at least it wasn't their fault someone got killed. He had himself convinced for the most part that Kraven's death was purely on Otto.

"Yes. Although the paramedics said that he would likely be paralyzed waist-down," Norman said. Harry groaned in the background.

"Do you think they'll investigate Kraven and everything he's stolen?" Felicia inquired.

Norman massaged his chin. "Possibly. That could lessen Otto's sentence if he gets one. Really is a shame about him. He sold vibranium cheap and left no traces. It'll be hard to track anything on him."

Felicia made a quick grunt of disgust as Norman mentioned buying the vibranium. She sipped her tea casually.

A small and somewhat proud smile resting on his lips, Norman turned his head toward his distant son. "You know, Harold, the paramedics were really impressed with your nanotechnology. I'm not going to ask where you got it, but it was very well-put together."

Harry spun his barstool around to face the other three in the room. His mouth was open as he processed the compliment from his father. He gave no response, thoroughly shell-shocked.

"Do you think Kurt and Bench will be okay with all this?" Peter asked Harry.

"Yeah, Kurt will. He's too good to fall in with Otto. I don't know about Bench. He's always been a wild card," Harry guessed.

"Do your guardians know you're here?" Norman asked the two kids on the couch. They shook their heads. "I'll drive the two of you home. I don't want anything to happen because I let you walk home by yourselves."

The two nodded. 

 

..-. ..- -.-. -.-

 

_Ring ring._

 

_Ring ring._

 

He'll have to leave a voicemail.

"Hey, Ned? It's Pete. I know it's 4:00AM on a Sunday, but I just needed to talk to you.

"Things got kind of wild. Harry and I hooked up. So he's my boyfriend. I don't really call him anything. He calls me 'boo', but I haven't found anything I'm comfortable with yet. He's so nice.

"Mr. Stark's party was fun. Harry and I sung 'Under Pressure' together at karaoke and played FMK. I met King T'Challa from Wakanda. He was so regal and polite. I'm not sure what else you'd expect from a king. Vision and Scarlet Witch were also nice. Mr. Rhodes was cool. He and Mr. Stark are kinda like us. They're bros.

"But when we came back... well, Otto stole the suit Harry was making for me before he knew I was Spider-Man. Otto used it to kill a man. And then, Harry stabbed him. He's ok, but he's paralyzed now. Harry's taking it hard. He's taking a break from the whole superhero thing indefinitely. He can't handle the stress. I don't know how I do it.

"Oh, and at Oscorp, I saw some notes that I don't think were meant for anyone else. It was kind of something about my origin... and about someone else's. I'll tell you more about it when we can actually talk.

"Call me whenever you get the chance."

Peter pressed the red button on his phone and pressed it close to his chest. He sighed deeply. Hopefully Harry was sleeping alright tonight. Peter knew he certainly wasn't going to be sleeping easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ..........................................................................


	15. Are You Guys Ready For A Chapter Where Everyone Is Finally Happy Again? Well Me Too But Also This Is The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we've finally reached the end! 
> 
> technically.
> 
> It wouldn't be a marvel fic w/out a couple bonus scenes. ;)

February came, and by then, things seemed to calm down. Media attention was thankfully averted from Felicia, Harry, and Otto, and focused solely on Kraven. This was thanks to the efforts of a certain Wakandan king who appreciated the efforts of the daughter of a favored War Dog.

Felicia gave up her title as Black Cat as her mother found out about the unfortunate ending to Kraven through her honest daughter. They would have preferred him alive and in Wakandan custody, thus the mission was practically deemed a failure. Though, Peter thought he might have seen Felicia on a night prowl or two.

Harry was still under the impression that he had done more bad than good. He made the occasional repair to Peter's Stark suit, and tinkered with small inventions. No more suits were made, however, much to the disappointment of his father who had finally expressed pride in his son's work.

Otto was eventually released from the hospital and back in the care of Xavier's. Like Norman predicted, the X-Men chose to protect him and allow him to make something better of himself. Under their careful watch, he worked to create metal arms that would help his mobility. However, as soon as they were completed, he left the boarding school without a trace. No one, not even Harry had a clue as to where he went.

But February wasn't the time to mourn or feel guilt for events of two months ago. In fact, in the month of love, Peter, Ned, MJ, Harry, and Felicia celebrated Valentine's Day with a group hangout at Peter's house. MJ liked to call it "Palentine's Day". They gamed, laughed, and watched movies, mostly trying to make happier memories than the ones left for them by December.

When all was said and done, and everyone had left besides Harry, Peter took the raven-haired boy to the rooftop of his apartment building. Harry joked that it was like King Kong except spider-version.

Valentine's Day saw a full moon out in the clear sky. White light illuminated the roof as the boys lazed upon it. Harry laid with his arms behind his head while Peter snuggled up to the taller boy, hands clasped on his chest.

"So you just do this? Like, often?" Harry asked, gaze affixed on the moon.

"Yeah," Peter breathed, gazing at the same object. "I've actually gotten pretty good at astrology. Leo's visible tonight."

"What about Sagittarius?" Harry asked, turning his head so that his cheek brushed against Peter's soft hair.

"Yeah. Sagittarius kinda looks like a horse kicking its legs. Do you see it? Around the moon."

"I think so. But then again, it could just be another collection of stars."

Sensing movement from the other boy, Peter looked up without moving his head. Harry had his eyes closed as he nestled his face against Peter’s.

"Are you tired?" Peter asked. He hoped not, but wasn't going to be mad if the answer was affirmative.

"Nah." Harry opened one eye with a smirk. "Are you?"

"No," Peter answered truthfully. Before he could say anything, Harry moved on top of him. "Um," Peter mumbled.

"I feel like I've asked this before, but have you ever been in a relationship? Like... ever?" Harry laughed at Peter's reaction.

Peter shrugged nervously. "The only girl I ever dated was for one night. Also her dad almost killed me."

"Oh. Well... then this is new." Harry chuckled breathlessly. "I'll calm down then. We'll just ease into this kind of thing." He rolled off and returned to his original position.

They enjoyed their separate silence for a beat.

"On the disaster-functional-distinguished scale, how would you categorize yourself?" Harry asked curiously, turning on his side to face Peter who did the same.

"I think I'm pretty functional," Peter opined. He smirked at Harry. "You're a disaster."

"But I'm your disaster." Harry kissed Peter on the forehead, making the boy flustered beyond belief.

Peter mustered all of his courage to kiss Harry on the lips. The boys just laughed at each other’s awkwardness. They came back together, this time, Harry’s arm enveloped Peter’s shoulders.

He pointed to a section of stars near the moon. “So what’s that one?” Harry asked.

”I’m gonna go out on a limb and say—“ Peter mumbled something unintelligible under his breath.

”You don’t know,” Harry answered for him with a smirk.

Peter gaped. “I so did.”

”Dork.”

”I think someone’s confused as to who the dork is in this relationship.”

”It’s you. You’re the one who’s confused.”

”Actually it’s Ned,” Peter laughed gratingly. Harry buried his head in the crook of Peter’s neck to keep himself from laughing so hard.

They calmed down subsequently. 

“You know, I love you.” 

Harry’s lips slightly parted in shock. “What?”

Peter smiled naively. “Haven’t you ever been told that?”

”No. I never thought I deserved it. Generally, I tell people _not_ to say it. I guess I forgot.” Harry furrowed his brow miserably.

“You deserve it,” Peter said, brushing his fingertips over Harry’s cheek. He stared deeply into Harry’s cerulean eyes which almost seemed to glow in the dark. “ _I love you,_ ” Peter said again, almost as if in protest.

“I love you, too,” Harry said breathlessly before locking lips with Peter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading :)


	16. Post-Credit Scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I couldn’t actually fit her into the main fic, here’s this:)

April brought a new face to the Loser's Table. Felicia had joined them eventually, but now a new girl arrived. Shunned for social anxiety, she found a place at the accepting table at the back of the cafeteria. Her straight black hair drooped over her dark eyes. She dressed in mostly dark clothing with a splash of red only in her shirt.

"Hey, that's my favorite color," Peter pointed out as she sat down across from him and next to MJ.

"Oh!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Mine too."

Ned was ready to ask her the fated "Wars or Trek" question, but upon seeing MJ's flustered expression, held off. He wanted to see where this was going, and Peter seemed to have a good hold on the reins of conversation at the moment.

"What's your name?" Peter asked the new girl.

"Cindy Moon," she replied, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "Peter Parker, right? I was here freshman year."

"Cindy?" MJ stoically questioned. "You left after that Oscorp field trip. I remember you. Never got the chance to ask what happened."

Cindy looked down at her hands in her lap and then up at Peter. She smirked and tilted her head. "Oh. You know. _Stuff_." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were a few hints toward Silk :0 
> 
> -why Norman wasn’t allowed to leave Oscorp  
> -scattered pages on the floor of Connors’ lab
> 
> But stay tuned for an extra extra scene that, like this one, I just didn’t want in the main story of the fic.


	17. You Know I Had To Do It To 'Em

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> perfectly balanced

Morning dawned as the first day of spring break began. Just the other day, the junior class of Midtown had gone on a field trip to the MoMA. Now, they were supposed to be resting up for AP exams, final exams, and everything in-between. Key word here is "supposed". They were supposed to be resting. But there was one person who wasn't.

Harry couldn't sleep the night previous for thinking of that one person. He tossed and turned in his sleep, nightmare upon nightmare attacking from his subconscious. Fears of a horrible tragedy befalling that one person troubled him. He hoped that wherever that one person was, that they were safe.

He tried to carry on his day without thinking of him. He showered, ate, watched The Last Jedi again for the hundredth time and live tweeted it, put a new high heel on his Iron Man leg lamp, and talked to Felicia about hair products for an hour. And just to spice things up, he climbed out on his roof to get a good night's view.

It was lonely.

It was real lonely without that one person.

Harry hugged his shoulders, desperate for a touch from someone else. Especially that one person.

The nightmares were worse the next night. Harry had woken up five times within the space of three hours. He decided to stay up and go over to Felicia's after calling her.

They sat out on her balcony, mindlessly watching the morning traffic. Harry blinked red eyes, sore from crying. He ducked down and ran his hands through his hair. He really didn’t want Felicia to see him like this. 

"Has he called you at all?" Felicia asked Harry.

He shook his head, grimacing as if some bitter pill had touched his lips. "Not at all. I'm really worried."

"Yeah, me—"

Harry jolted from the foldable chair, staring at the dust sitting where Felicia once was. He tried picking it up, but got nowhere as it flew between his fingertips. Below, cars honked and crashed as their drivers and passengers disappeared. A helicopter flew into a building just across from him.

"What the fuck?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as all things should be


End file.
